THE LIFE 



OF 



ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, D.D. LL.D. 

FIRST PROFESSOR 

IN THE 

THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY. 



BY 



JAMES W. ALEXANDER, D.D. 



PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 

No. 265 Chestnut Street. 
1856, 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by 
JAMES W. ALEXANDER, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Southern District of New York. 



3Y TRA^ £ ^ X 
M *3 *** 



LC Control Number 




tmp96 029087 



PREFACE. 



rjlHE reasons for this condensed edition are suffi- 
ciently obvious. Many persons who would gladly 
have perused the larger memoir, found it beyond 
their reach. It will be seen, on collation, that the 
abridgment has been slight, and that the narrative is 
scarcely touched. Especially is the autobiographical 
part given entire. 

In this place I may be allowed to repeat, that 
the work was one from which I would gladly have 
shrunk ; but it was laid upon me by the highest hu- 
man authority I ever knew ; as he who is the subject 
of the narrative expressed on his death-bed the desire, 
that whatsoever should appear in the way of public 
memorial might proceed from two of his sons whom 
he named for this purpose. For reasons not interest- 
ing to the general reader, the task has devolved solely 
on me. I girded myself for it under all the disad- 



iv 



PREFACE. 



vantages of a conviction long since formed, that in 
many respects a son is not the proper biographer of a 
father. Though his knowledge of facts and charac- 
ter may be supposed to be intimate, he is in danger 
either of writing a panegyric, or of falling below the 
truth in attempting to avoid it. In almost every 
page I confess myself to have been haunted by the 
apprehension of overstating, overcolouring, and giv- 
ing undue importance to domestic traits. If this evil 
has been incurred, it has not been from wilful sup- 
pression of truth, but from the warping influence of a 
loving veneration. It would have been as natural as 
it was consonant to my feelings, to speak of my dear 
and honoured father under that tender appellation ; 
but the wish to avoid obtruding my own person every 
where as thus connected, has led me to name him as 
he was known by others. 

One of the difficulties of the performance ought to 
be clearly stated. The two ordinary and most copious 
sources of a religious biography, are a private diary 
and epistolary correspondence. As it regards the 
former, my father, after his years of boyhood, kept no 
personal journal. His letters, it is true, were numer- 
ous ; but they were to a remarkable extent bare let- 



PREFACE. 



V 



ters of business. Of hundreds now in my hands, the 
greater part contain no passage which admits of being 
extracted, and most of the remainder furnish only 
scattered sentences. My hearty thanks are due to 
those pupils and other friends of my father, who have 
sent me letters received from him ; the number of 
such favours has prevented distinct and private ac- 
knowledgment. Some of these arrived too late to be 
inserted in the text. In the absence of the materials 
just named, I have had to rely upon two classes of 
authorities. In the first place, my father, after the 
middle of his life, threw upon paper large reminis- 
cences of his own career, and the history of his early 
friends and acquaintances. Greater use would have 
been made of these manuscripts, if he had not ex- 
pressly forbidden them to be made public in their 
original form. I have gone to the utmost limit of his 
supposed permission, in these autobiographical ex- 
tracts. Unfortunately, they do not extend at all into 
the second and more conspicuous half of his life. The 
other source has therefore been the chief reliance, as 
to this period ; namely, my own personal recollec- 
tions, aided and corrected by those of his family and 
friends. 



PREFACE. 



In those parts which are made up from his manu- 
script records, I have once or twice allowed myself, 
rather than mutilate his account, to repeat the same 
events and opinions, as expressed by him in different 
connections. In some few instances, I have been con- 
strained to return to topics already treated and appa- 
rently dismissed, thus disturbing the arrangement ; 
because new matter on these points came in while the 
book was going through the press. The excellent 
steel engraving which accompanies these pages is 
from the best representations which art has been able 
to produce. But it ought to be added, that no like- 
ness has been other than a failure, in respect to the 
animation of his features and the liquid brilliancy of 
his eye. 

It is my humble prayer, that this memorial of one 
who devoted his best powers, for a long period, to 
the service of truth, of the Church, and of the Lord 
Jesus, may be made conducive to the interests of 
religion. 

Xew York, October, 1855. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER FIRST. 
1772— ms. 

Descent— The Valley— Scotch-Irish— The Grandfather— The Father— Na- 
tivity — Boyhood — Schools — War — Jack Reardon and Lyon — "William 
Graham — Priestly — Early Oratory — Influence of Scenery — Natural 
Bridge . 1-31 



CHAPTER SECOND. 
1789. 

Tutorship — Leaving Home — Wilderness — Religious State — Mrs. Tyler — Bap- 
tist Preaching — Pious Millwright — Skepticism — Jenyns — Convictions — 
Flavel — Early Joy — Progress of Awakening 32-47 



CHAPTER THIRD. 
1789, 1790. 

Home — Visit to Revival in Southern Virginia — Samuel Morris — Smith — 
Graham — Lacy — Mrs. LeGrand — Sacrament — Doubts and Fears — De- 
parture of Hope — Renewed Peace — Return 48-65 



CHAPTER FOURTH. 
1789, 1790. 

Revival in Rockbridge — Self-Examination — Relapse into Doubt — Sudden 
Joy — Covenant — First Communion — Discussion of Doctrines — Prince- 
ton College — Dangerous Illness — The Springs — Mountains — Mr. Le- 
Grand. • 66-81 



Vlll 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER FIFTH. 
1790, 1791. 

Preparations for the Ministry — Presbytery — First Public Address — Extern 
poraneous Efforts — Mission of Mr. Graham — German Convert — Young 
Ruling-elder — Yisit to Philadelphia — Assembly of 1791 — Great Men of 
the Church — Nisbet — Witherspoon — The Smiths — Homeward Journey — 
Sleeping Preacher — Home 81-104 

CHAPTER SIXTH. 
1791. 

Theological Studies — Graham's Class — Books — Presbyterial Trials — First Ser 
mon — Licensure — Entrance on Ministry — Early Sermons — Early Man- 
ner — A Converted Family — Convert of "Whitefield — Compensation — Mr. 
Hoge — End of Tour — Staunton — Preaching at Home — Mission "Work — Am- 
herst — Prince Edward — Samuel Yenable 104-130 

CHAPTER SEYENTH. 
1792. 

Missionary Tour — Lunenburg — The Lay- preacher — James Hunt — William 
Cowan — Bishop Madison — Petersburg — Search for Pulpit — Mr. Jarratt— 
Nottoway — Mecklenburg — Mr. Patillo — Religious Friends. . 130-155 

CHAPTER EIGHTH. 
1792—1797. 

Prince Edward and Charlotte — Early Presbyterian Labourers — Robinson — 
Henry — Austin — Baptist Council — Smith's River — Mountain Nook — An- 
ecdotes — Tavern Prayers — Close of Mission — Settlement — Ordination — = 
Mrs. LeGrand — Pastoral Cares — Study of Sermons — Manner — Samuel 
Brown — Houston the Shaker — Studies — The Aliens — The Mortons — Elo- 
quence of Patrick Henry and John Randolph — Hampden Sidney — John 
H. Rice — Conrad Speece — Thanksgiving Sermon — Difficulties with regard 
to Baptism. 155-208 

CHAPTER NINTH. 
1801. 

Resignation of Presidentship — Journey to the North — Dr. Waddel — Amos 
Thompson — Adam Freeman the Fanatic — Philadelphia — Princeton — New- 



CONTENTS. 



ix 



York — Connecticut — Danbury — Litchfield — Association - — Hartford — Dr. 
Strong — Newport — Dr. Patton — Dr. Hopkins — Dr. Emmons. 209-233 

CHAPTER TENTH. 
1801. 

Boston — Harvard — Dr. Dana — Exeter — Father of "Webster — Graduation of 
Daniel TVebster — Revival at Shelburne — Commencement at Princeton — 
Call to Baltimore— Return. 233-254 

CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 
1802—1806. 

Prince Edward — Marriage — Labours in Virginia — Call to the North — Criti- 
cal Juncture — Removal — Journey to Philadelphia — Slavery — Daphne — 
City Life — City Clergy — Third Church — Religious Novel — Cares and En- 
couragements — City Destitution — Evangelical Society — Plan of City Mis- 
sion — Tracts — Call to Georgia — Sermon on Richmond Theatre. 255-295 

CHAPTER TWELFTH. 
1811, 1812. 

Project of Theological Seminary — Dr. Green's Overture — Dr. Green's Plan — 
Dr. Miller's Narrative — Origin of Seminary — Three Plans — Election as 
Professor — Pastoral Farewell — Inaugurations — Dr. Miller's Discourse — 
Antecedent fitness for the post — Biblical and Theological Studies — Settle- 
ment at Princeton — Personal Traits 296-324 

CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 
1812. 

Princeton — Opening of School — Arduous Studies — Languages — Theology — 
Methods — Scheme of Instruction — Polemic Theology — Continued Preach- 
ing — Manner of Life — Accession of Dr. Miller — Relation of the two Col- 
leagues. . 325-347 

CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 
1813— 181?. 



First years as Professor- -Health — Private Toils; — Increasing Classes — Funds — 
Library — Sermons — Revival in College — Spiritual Counsels — Modes of 



CONTENTS. 



Influence — Visit and Death of Dr. Hoge — Invitation to Virginia — Domes 
tic Habits — Love of Teaching — Home Lessons — Graphic Preaching — Th< 
Paschal Lamb — Sacramental Address. .... 348-37 ( 



CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 
1819—1829. 

Public Labours — Church Courts — Progress of Seminary — Colleagues — Habits 
of the Study — The Conference — Written Sermons — Church Troubles- 
New Divinity— New Measures— Mode of Treating Controversies— Late 
Commencement of Authorship — Work on the Evidences — Review of Dr. 
Mur dock— Biblical Repertory — Review of Brown— Dr. Finley and Colo- 
nization — Visit to Virginia — Correspondence — Introductory Lectures- 
Maxims. 377-404 



CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 
1830—1839. 

Difficulties in the Church— Sources of Strife— Old and New School— View of 
the Differences— Evils of Division— Division of Church— State of Seminary 
—Literary Activity— Writings— Prospect of Decline— Views of Death- 
Correspondence— Preaching to Slaves— Foreign Missions— Early Conver- 
sions—Topographical Faculty. . . . . . 405-444 



CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH. 
1840—1851. 

Last Period— Declining Years— Correspondence— Views of Death and Eter- 
nity— Dr. John Breckinridge— Visit to Virginia— Address at Lexington- 
Death of Friends— Activity in Old Age— Connection with Public Bodies- 
Writings of Old Age— Reviews— Visit of Mrs. Duncan— Death of Dr. 
Miller— His character— Harmony of Professors— Dr. Miller's Testimony- 
Last Synod— Last Sermon Abroad— Last Address to Children— Persistent 
Labour — Resolution— Employments— Happy Old Age. . . 445-492 



CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 
1851. 

The last Scenes — Access of Disease — Interview with Dr. Hodge — Increased 

Illness — Interview with his Son — Second conversation with Dr. Hodge 

Conversation with Mr. Schenck— Perfect Peace— Revival of Youthful 



CONTENTS. 



xi 



Impressions — Dying Experience— Tranquil Joy — The last Sabbath — Last 
Moments — Remarkable Answer to Prayer. . . . . 493-514 

CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 
1851. 

Funeral Services and other Testimonials — The Procession — Dr. McDowell's 
Sermon — Cemetery — Dr. Magie ? s Address — Notice of Mrs. Alexander — 
Major Alexander. 515-532 

CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

General Summary — Personal Appearance — Health — Manners — Retiring Dis- 
position — Social Traits — Benignity — Natural Endowments — Habits of 
Thought — Diligence — Extent of Learning — Colloquial Powers — PreachiDg 
— Testimony of Professor Henry — Personal Piety — Conclusion. 533-563 



THE LIFE 



OF 



ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, D.D. 



DESCENT — THE GREAT Y ALLEY — OLD ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER — PAREN- 
TAGE — NATIVE PLACE — EARLY SCHOOLS — THE WAR — "WILLIAM GRA- 
HAM — PRIESTLY — CLASSICAL TRAINING. 



BOUT the year 1736, as nearly as can now be discovered. 



1JL three brothers named Alexander emigrated to Ame- 
rica. Though they came from Ireland, they were of the 
Scottish race, and their father, Thomas Alexander, had 
removed from Scotland to the neighbourhood of Londonderry. 
One of these brothers, Archibald Alexander, settled first in 
Pennsylvania, where his son William was born upon the 
river Schuylkill. The three brothers were well educated, 
and one of them, Robert, was a teacher of mathematics. 
After a residence of more than two years in Pennsylvania, 
Archibald Alexander removed to New Virginia, as the coun- 
try was then called ; his son William, being at the time 



CHAPTER FIRST. 



1772—1788. 




1 



2 



REVIVAL — THE VALLEY. 



about nine years of age. He was among the earliest settlers 
of that particular region. 

" While he resided in Pennsylvania/' says the personal 
narrative to which we are to be indebted for most of our 
facts, " the Great Kevival which spread its benign influence 
over so large a portion of America, extended to the congre- 
gation in which he lived, and he became a subject of the 
good work, under the preaching of Mr. Rowland. This fact 
I learned from old Dr. Robert Smith of Pequea, who knew 
him well, and told me in 1791, when I was at his house, 
that he had often met with, my grandfather during that 
period, following Mr. Rowland far and near/' 

Xo better notion of the locality here principally con- 
cerned can be obtained, than from some paragraphs left by 
the subject of this narrative, " The Great Valley of Vir- 
ginia, or as it is commonly called in the State, the Valley, is 
situated between the Blue Ridge and the North Mountain ; 
and its general direction is the same, from northeast to 
southwest. It is a continuation of the same valley which, 
commencing on the Delaware at Easton, passes entirely 
through the State of Pennsylvania, including Bethlehem, 
Reading, Harrisburg, Carlisle, Shippensburg, Chambersburg, 
and many other flourishing towns and villages, and extends 
through Maryland to the Potomac. On the south side of 
this river the Valley of Virginia commences, and runs nearly 
through the State, embracing in its whole extent, from the 
Delaware to the New or Kanhawa River, as rich, as varie- 
gated, and as well watered a region, as can be found in the 
United States. The width of this valley, from mountain to 



VALLEY OF VIRGINIA. 



3 



mountain, varies from ten to thirty miles ; fifteen miles may 
be considered the mean breadth. There is also a great dif- 
ference in the surface : in some parts the land is flat, but 
rises in others into high hills, which every where in their un- 
cultivated state are covered with forests of timber, which is 
often veiy large. It is, throughout, a limestone country ; and 
in some places the rocks almost cover the surface of the 
ground. Within these rocks are many caverns, in some of 
which the waters collect in* such quantities, that in many 
places, springs burst forth with a stream sufficient to turn a 
large waterwheel. The ledges of limestone running above 
the surface, and generally inclined at a considerable angle to 
the horizon, cause the roads to be rough and very unpleasant 
for wheels. Through the whole extent of this valley, wheat 
and other kinds of corn are cultivated with great success. 
Perhaps for the extent of it, it is the best wheat land in 
America. It is an excellent farming country, with a deep 
stiff clay soil, susceptible when exhausted of great improve- 
ment from the gypsum and the hme obtained from the rocks. 

" Although the region under consideration is now the cen- 
tral part of Virginia, it generally received its inhabitants 
from a source very different from that of the remaining por- 
tions ; for while the latter are from a pure English stock, the 
former are Scotch-Irish and German in their origin. The 
people called the Scotch-Irish are all Presbyterians, and 
descending from the Scotch, have nevertheless for several 
generations resided in the north of Ireland. They are a peo- 
ple of marked traits, differing entirely from the native Irish, 
and from the descendants of the English in Ireland. They 



i 



SCOTCH-IRISH THE SCHISM 



have also acquired characteristics which distinguish them 
from the Scotch. These people settled in Ireland at differ- 
ent periods ; but most of them went over in the times of 
persecution under the Stuarts. When Pennsylvania was 
laid open for settlement, and freedom of religion was promised 
to all denominations by William Penn, many emigrated to 
that colony, and settled in the southern and eastern counties, 
and in the three counties which have since composed the 
State of Delaware. As the settlements extended, they 
spread themselves westward, and were generally among the 
foremost to occupy new lands. Many of them therefore 
entered the Grreat Valley before described, about Harrisburg 
and Carlisle, also towards the Potomac, and beyond it into 
Virginia. The time of the earliest emigration from Ireland 
was probably from 1720 to 1740. About the last mentioned 
date, some persons had penetrated so far along the valley as 
to reach the waters of the great Powhatan, commonly called 
the James Eiver. This part of the valley, though uneven 
and in many places rocky, was found to be exceedingly fer- 
tile, and the c coves ' and gaps in the mountains furnished 
good grazing for cattle. So favourable a report was brought 
back by the explorers, that many families in eastern Penn- 
sylvania determined to remove to New Virginia, as that 
region was then called. 

" Between 1740 and 1750 a great emigration took place ; 
and as an unhappy schism then existed in the Presbyterian 
Church, dividing it into the Old Side and Ksw Side, as the 
parts were called, the people of these parties settled, not 
promiscuously, but in separate groups, which became the 



EARLY MINISTERS. 



5 



germs of new congregations ; for when a settlement was 
once made, it was rapidly increased every year by emigrants, 
not only from Pennsylvania but directly from Ireland. The 
emigrants from congregations of the Old Side planted them- 
selves in compact bodies in that part of the Valley east and 
south of Staunton, and even extended themselves over the 
Blue Eidge at Eockfish Gap, immediately below which they 
found some rich and beautiful land on Eockfish Eiver. In 
a very few years there were three ministers of the gospel sta- 
tioned among them. The Eev. Mr. Craig took charge of the 
Augusta Church, and that of Tinkling Spring ; the Eev. Mr. 
Miller, of Mossy Creek and Harrisonburg ; and the Eev. Mr. 
Black, of Eockfish, on the eastern side of the Blue Eidge. 
That part of the valley which lies southwest of Staunton, as 
far as the Forks of James Eiver, was settled principally by 
adherents of the New Side. The congregations of Hebron, 
Bethel, New Providence, Timber Eidge, and the Forks, 
with some mixture of the others, were chiefly of the New 
Side. The first minister who settled in this part of the 
Valley, was the Eev. John Brown, who was bom in Ireland, 
but received his education, at least the finishing part of it, 
in this country ; for he was a graduate of the College of New 
Jersey. When licensed he visited New Virginia, and re- 
ceived a call from New Providence and Timber Eidge, which 
then formed but one congregation. The next preacher of 
this party was, I think, Mr. Cummins, who preached at the 
North Mountain (Hebron) and Bethel. In the Forks, that 
is the region about Lexington and further on towards the 
J ames Eiver, there was no settled pastor before Mr. Gra- 



6 



OLD ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER. 



ham/' * And here we resume the personal narrative : 
" The congregation to which my grandfather belonged must 
have been Norriton, in the vicinity of Norristown, which did 
not then exist. It was divided into two, and the friends of 
the revival built a new house of worship, which they called 
Providence. From this many families emigrated to New 
Virginia, settled together, and built a meeting-house, which 
they called New Providence. As the congregation was ex- 
tensive, they built another on Timber Kidge, ten or twelve 
miles further along the valley. My grandfather's residence 
was within the bounds of the latter ; my father's farm was 
adjoining. 

" I have often wondered why he chose a residence in a 
part of the valley so hilly and precipitous, when the whole 
country was before him, and when land could be had for a 
mere trifle. But I have understood that the selection was 
judiciously made, on account of the fine pasturage in the 
mountains, made accessible to cattle by the gap of Irish 
Creek." 

Archibald Alexander was a man of some remarkable 
points. At the solicitation of others, and for the sake of his 
children, he gave lessons to such of the neighbouring youth 
as would resort to him at night. " The appearance of my 
grandfather," the narrative continues, "I remember very 
well. He was rather below the common height, but was 
thick-set, broad-breasted and strongly built. His face was 
broad, and his eyes large, black, and prominent. The ex- 
pression of his countenance was calm and benignant, and his 

* MS. Life of the Rev. William Graham. 



WILLIAM ALEXANDER. 



7 



manner of speaking was very kind and affectionate. He 
raised a company of men, called Rangers ; and as their cap- 
tain performed a tour of duty on the Great Kanhawa and the 
Ohio. For this service he received, in connection with other 
officers, a right to locate several thousand acres of land in 
Kentucky. Perhaps no man ever left behind him a higher 
character for uprightness and benignity, than old Ersbell 
Alexander, as he was called by the Scotch people. I have 
heard him spoken of by men of all classes, without any va- 
riation in their testimony to his worth. A large part of 
Rockbridge County was included in a grant made by the 
King to a certain Mr. Burden, and was called, within my 
memory, Burden's Tract. When Burden died, he left my 
grandfather sole executor of his will, with authority to sign 
numerous deeds for land already sold. This high trust he 
executed with fidelity ; and although he had such opportu- 
nities of appropriating to his own use any quantity of good 
land, he never seemed to have the least desire to become 
wealthy. When he first came to the country, he only took 
up as much land as would make moderate farms for himself 
and his two sons ; and to each of these, when grown, he 
gave portions. They, however, surveyed tracts on Irish 
Creek, which at this day are among the most valuable lands 
in the neighbourhood." 

William Alexander, son of the preceding, enjoyed fewer 
opportunities of education ; yet, being of an active mind, and 
having more access to books than his companions, he ac- 
quired a considerable fund of knowledge. It is indicative of 
the domestic habits of the day, that he knew the whole 



8 



NATIMTY. 



Larger Catechisin, and remembered almost all Watts's 
Psalms and Hymns. He united the pursuit of merchandise 
to that of agriculture, but suffered greatly by the deprecia- 
tion of the continental currency. He was an elder in the 
Presbyterian church, but did not attain to the Christian emi- 
nence of his father. "William Alexander married Ann Eeid, 
the daughter of a wealthy landholder, of the same Presbyte- 
rian colony. She was a retiring and humble, but affection- 
ately pious woman. The latter years of her life were made 
sad by a total loss of sight. 

Archibald Alexander, the subject of this narrative, and 
the son of William and Ann above mentioned, was bom on 
the seventeenth day of April, 1772. 

" The house in which I was born/' says his own account, 
" was built of square logs, as were most of the houses at that 
time. The place is rough, and is near a little mountain 
stream, called the South Eiver, which, after joining the 
North Eiver, falls into the James Eiver, just above its en- 
trance into the mountains. Nearly opposite to the place, 
Irish Creek, a bold stream from a gorge of the mountain, 
falls into the South Eiver. This my birthplace was at that 
time in Augusta County, which was unlimited to the west ; 
it is now in Eockbridge County, and is about seven miles 
from Lexington, in an eastern direction. 

" I was the third of nine children, seven of whom are still 
living (July 26, 1839). My brother Andrew was the oldest. 
The next in order was my sister, Margaret Graham. The 
others, in the order of nativity, are Sarah, John, Nancy 
(who died in childhood), Phebe, Elizabeth, Nancy, and 
Martha. 



REMOVAL FAMILY. 



9 



" My father, having in the year 1775 removed from his 
place on the South Eiver to the Forks, that is, to the south 
of the North Eiver, just this side of the site of Lexington, 
began to carry on his mercantile business there. Indeed, to 
get into a more public and convenient situation, was, I sup- 
pose, his only motive for this change. He purchased the 
house now owned by my oldest brother. As the buildings 
were poor, and on the wrong side of the farm for his purpose, 
be erected a house and a store near to the present site of 
Jordan's Mills. By this removal he went out of Augusta 
into Bottetourt County ; for the North Biver was the di- 
viding line. But soon after this a new county was taken 
from the two, and called Bockbridge, from the Natural 
Bridge, which was within its limits. Lexington was fixed 
on for the seat of justice ; and a town was laid off, which 
took its name from the place of the first battle and first 
bloodshed of the Bevolution. But the war came on, and all 
mercantile business was necessarily suspended ; and my fa- 
ther now acted as deputy-sheriff to his father, in the new 
county." 

A lively affection appears to have subsisted between the 
brothers and sisters of the family. Of his brother, the late 
Andrew Alexander, a Christian of high respectability and 
strong points of character, he thus writes : " My brother was 
four years older than myself, and perhaps two brothers were 
never more unlike. From his early childhood he was sober 
and careful, fond of work, and always contriving something. 
I have heard my mother say, that while the family sojourned 
at Irish Creek, when he was only five or six years of age, 



10 



BOYHOOD. 



he made for himself a booth in the garden, where he would 
sit and work with awl and needle, making himself a shot 
pouch ; for at that period every thing had a military complex 
ion, the alarm of war having sounded through our peaceful 
country. But my brother was at the furthest remove from 
a warlike spirit. All his life he was so devoted to peace, 
that he would at any time rather suffer loss than enter into 
contention. His youth, manhood, and old age corresponded 
with his childhood. He was of uninterrupted veracity, and 
so honest that no temptation could ever seduce him to take 
an advantage." 

The country was new, and the times were difficult, in 
consequence of which the youth of that day grew up with 
hardier habits than ours. Dr. Alexander used repeatedly to 
tell his children that his father gave him a rifle the day he 
was eleven years old ; and how he would spend days in the 
mountains in search of cattle which were lost, able to catch 
and discriminate the bells of his father's herd at a distance 
which seems almost incredible. He was an expert swimmer, 
and grew up with that perfect knowledge of horsemanship 
which is still common to all young Virginians. Trifles serve 
to colour the picture of the times. The dress of the children 
was grotesque. " Long hair," says he, " tied down the 
back, was all the mode ; and every little fellow was cherish- 
ing his hah. I, among the rest, had a little dangling queue, 
which from the thinness of the hair was very small. On 
this account, some of the boys called me c My Lord Pig- 
tail/ A great laugh was raised against me, by my having 
complained to the master of this, as a breach of the third 
commandment. 



PRIVATIONS- — SCHOOLS. 



11 



u Some judgment may be formed of the privations of the 
people, consequent on the long continuance of the war, from 
the fact, that it was very difficult for our teacher to obtain a 
penknife, to make and mend the pens of the scholars. 
Hearing that my father had been on to the North for goods, 
I was mounted on a iorse and sent home to get a knife. 
There had been a great rain and the streams were swollen. 
Arriving at the North River, on the opposite bank of which 
my father's house stood, I found that the river was too high 
to be forded by so young and weak a horse as the one I rode. 
I knew not what to do. The only house near was a cabin of 
one John Montgomery, an old cedar-cooper. To cross the 
river, which is always deep at that spot, John had made a 
bark canoe, such as is used by the Indians. I sat nearly all 
day, but knew not how I should pass the night. But 
towards sunset the old man said he would go up with me to 
the ford, and would try to make the family hear our call, 
that a servant with a strong horse accustomed to the ford 
might be sent over. In this we succeeded. Davy, a black 
boy, crossed, and taking me behind him on a tall horse, led 
the one I had ridden, but it was not without danger/' 

These details, as belonging to the history of Virginia, 
could not well be omitted. We shall gather from the narra- 
tive some account of his early lessons and teachers, which 
will not be without their interest. 

Schools were very scarce. I recollect that after oui 
settlement in the Forks, as the whole country was then called 
between the James Eiver and its North Branch, on which 
last we resided, my eldest brother and sister went to a school 



12 



JACK REARDON. 



kept in the woods, half a mile north from where my brother 
Major Alexander now lives. The master was one Carrigan. 
They were every day carried across the river on horseback, 
About this time, that is, the next year after our removal, my 
father went on a trading expedition to Baltimore, and there 
purchased several convict servants, who had been transported 
for crime. Among these was a youth about eighteen or 
twenty named John Eeardon, born, as he said, in Ireland, 
but reared from a child in London. He had been for some 
time at a classical school, and had read Latin books as far as 
Virgil, as well as a little in the G-reek Testament. He wrote 
a fair hand and had some knowledge of book-keeping, but had 
never been accustomed to labour. This young fellow, it was 
thought, might teach school, in default of a better, and accord- 
ingly a hut of logs was erected at the foot of Paxton's Meadow, 
where there was a spring. When last in that country, I 
visited the spot and recognised the little knoll on which the 
house stood, but no vestige of it remained, and nothing 
around except the meadow furnished me with any associations 
of my earliest school. For though this place was a mile 
from our house by the direct path along the creek, which was 
narrow and disagreeable, and a mile and a half by old Letty 
Campbell's place, thither I trudged along every day, with 
my short legs and little feet, when not more than five years 
old. The master, as being my father's servant, lodged at 
our house, and often carried me in his arms part of the way. 
I had no fear of him, as at home I was accustomed to call 
him Jack, and often conveyed my father's commands to him. 
By some means, I know not how, I had learned to read in the 



HORN-BOOK WAR. 13 

New Testament, before I went to this school. I remember 
a horn-book, and a folded pasteboard, with letters and pic- 
tures, but this is all. The school was large, and some of 
the scholars were nearly grown. It consisted of both boys 
and girls. Our little Englishman made himself very familiar 
with the larger boys, and did not pretend to exercise any 
authority over them. But he would lay about him stoutly 
with his long switch upon the smaller urchins, when they 
were guilty of looking off their books. The custom was, to 
read with as loud a voice as we could while getting our lessons, 
as it was called. When within a quarter of a mile of a 
country school, one might hear like a distant chime the united 
voices of the scholars. Upon reflection, I cannot think that 
I derived the smallest benefit from the year or part of a year 
spent in this school, unless my lungs may have been strength- 
ened by perpetual exercise. Before the year was out, the 
war had commenced, and the drum and fife of the recruiting 
sergeant were heard in all public places. Many companies 
of regulars were enlisted in that region. There were but two 
tories in the whole country, and these were obliged to fly. 
Most of the English convicts, whether they had served out 
their time or not, enlisted. All who were in my father's ser- 
vice, namely, James Malone an Irish papist, Joe Lyon a 
thievish Jew, and J ohn Eeardon, went off ; for these men 
generally cherished a deadly hatred to England/' 

"Malone and the Jew enlisted before Eeardon. The 
former, as we heard, was killed in Carolina. Lyon, who was 
a very bad man, deserted to the British. Soon after Wal- 
lace's company reached the scene of warfare, Colonel Beaufort 



14 



REARD0N AND LYON. 



was attacked by Tarleton's corps in North Carolina. The 
Colonel, seeing his men in confusion, fled at the beginning 
of the battle, and almost the whole of his command was cut 
to pieces by the dragoons. Wallace disdained to fly, and ! 
being surrounded by the British horse, sold his life dearly, 
having first killed three or four men with his spontoon. Bear- 
don, being a small man, was soon cut down. He had three 
deep wounds in the arms, one bayonet wound through the 
side, which only penetrated the flesh, and a severe cut on the 
head. After the battle he lay bleeding almost to death, 
among the slain and wounded, totally unable to move him- 
self, but perfectly in his senses. When night came on, the 
moon shone, and he perceived a man passing near him, and 
wherever he observed signs of life despatching the sufferer 
with his bayonet. He presently approached Beardon, his 
musket was raised and his bayonet directed, when by the 
moonlight Beardon perceived that this murderer was his old 
fellow-servant, Joe Lyon. He immediately said, 'What, 
J oe — you will not kill me ! 9 Lyon dropped his weapon and r 
appeared amazed ; but he sat down beside him, bound up his I 
bleeding wounds as well as he could, brought some spirits and \ 
water, and remained by him a good part of the night ; and r 
before day dragged him to a small hut near the battle-field. 
Beardon, from whose lips I often heard the story, believed 
that the kind care of Lyon saved his life. Soon afterwards 
the battle of Guilford took place, in which it was said that 
Lyon was mortally wounded. Beardon returned to school- 
keeping on Timber Bidge." 

At the age of seven, he was sent away to board at the 



SCHOOL AT TIMBER, RIDGE 



hi*ise of a relation, and attend a school on Timber Eidge. 
He represents himself as very small for his age, and both timid 
and peevish. Having previously learned the Shorter Cate- 
chism, he was now put to learn the Larger. " When I re- 
turned, the war was raging, and I frequently saw companies 
of backwoodsmen, with their rifles, brown hunting-shirts, and 
deer's-tail cockades, passing on to the theatre of conflict/' 
The young subject of our memoir after going for some time 
to the school of one Stevenson, was again placed under the 
care of Eeardon, who had been released from the wars and 
healed of his wounds. While here he had the early grief 
occasioned by hearing that his father had been draughted as 
a soldier ; his place was however taken by his half-brother, 
John Alexander. He next went to school to John Ehodes, 
an Englishman, and also a " redemptioner, " as such bondmen 
were called. " I remember this year/' says he, " with much 
satisfaction. We had many pleasant schoolmates, and were 
pleased with our learning. I spent much of my time at the 
writing-desk, but made poor progress. In arithmetic and 
English grammar I did better ; but at that time we had no 
grammar but the one appended to the spelling-book, which 
was founded on the Latin. This I laboriously committed to 
memory, but it was not of the least use to me. I was now 
ten years old ; and my father having determined to give a 
liberal education to one of his sons, selected me, saying to 
me that learning was to be my estate. The Eeverend Wil- 
liam Graham, a graduate of the College of New J ersey, had 
set up an academy at Timber Eidge Meeting-House, and had 
obtained an ample charter from the Legislature. He travelled 



16 



FIRST CLASSICAL SCHOOL. 



through the New England States, soliciting benefactions foi 
his seminary. Several small neat buildings were erected foi 
the use of the students, and a good house on the New England 
model was reared for the rector. Students came in a goodly 
number, mostly grown young men. Every thing promised 
success ; but war came on and obstructed the progress of the 
institution, which was named Liberty Hall. The school in- 
deed existed before Mr. Graham came into the State, but 
had its seat at Mount Pleasant, near to the site of the village 
of Fairfield, six or seven miles to the east of Timber Eidge. 
Here Mr. Graham taught for a year or more, but being a 
man of much enterprise, he wished to rear a seminary after 
the model of Princeton College. Having received a call to 
take charge of the congregations of Timber Eidge and Hall's 
Meeting-House, he removed the school to the former place, 
where he conducted it for several years. But finding an 
opportunity to purchase a farm which pleased him on the 
North Eiver, not much more than a mile from the present 
site of Lexington, he transferred it to that place, and had 
influence with a majority of the trustees to give their assent. 
The spot was on the extreme part of my father's property. 
My father was pleased to have the school brought so near 
him, and made a donation of as much land as was needed 
for the buildings. In the mean time, studies were pursued 
in an upper room of Mr. Graham's. Here I first entered on 
classical learning." 

This is the proper place for giving 'some account of the 
Eeverend William Graham, whose name must occur so fre- 
quently in these pages. To no man did Dr. Alexander own 



WILLIAM GRAHAM. 



17 



himself more indebted, in regard to the direction of his 
studies and the moulding of his character. Such was his 
uniform testimony through life ; and we cannot do better 
than to subjoin his own estimate of this truly great thinker, 
gathering it from a discourse delivered in 1843, among the 
very scenes of his early studies. 

" Mr. Graham possessed a mind formed for profound and 
accurate investigation. He had studied the Greek and Latin 
classics with great care, and relished the beauties of these 
exquisite compositions. With the authors taught in the 
schools he was familiar by long practice in teaching, and 
always insisted on the importance of classical literature, as 
the proper basis of a liberal education. He had a strong 
leaning to the study of Natural Philosophy, and took great 
pleasure in making experiments with such apparatus as he 
possessed. As he was an ardent patriot and thorough repub- 
lican, the times in which he lived led him to bestow much 
attention to the science of government ; and one of the few 
pieces which he wrote for the press was on this subject. By 
some he was censured for meddling with politics ; but it 
should be remembered that at this period, the country having 
cast off its allegiance to Great Britain and declared itself 
independent, had to lay the foundation of governments, 
both for the States and the Nation ; and the welfare of pos- 
terity as well as of the existing inhabitants of the land was 
involved in the wisdom with which this work was done. 
The talents of any man, capable of thinking, seemed to be 
fairly put into requisition. It is a sound maxim, that men 
living at one time must not be judged by the opinions of an 



18 



WILLIAM GRAHAM. 



age in which all the circumstances are greatly changed. At 
the adoption of the Federal Constitution, which according 
to its original draught he did not approve, he relinquished 
all attention to politics for the remainder of his life. 

" The science, however, which engaged his thoughts more 
than all others except Theology, was the Philosophy of the 
Mind. Though acquainted with the best treatises which had 
then been published, he carried on his investigations not so 
much by books, as by a patient and repeated analysis of the 
various processes of thought as these arose in his own mind, 
and by reducing the phenomena thus observed to a regular 
system. The speaker is of the opinion, that the system of 
mental philosophy which he thus formed, was in clearness and 
fulness superior to any which has been given to the public, in 
the numerous works recently published on this subject. It is 
greatly to be regretted that his lectures were never commit- 
ted to writing, for the benefit of the world. It was, however, 
a fault of this profound thinker, that he made little use of 
the pen ; and it was also a defect, that in the latter years 
of his life he addicted himself little to reading the produc- 
tions of other men, and perhaps entertained too low an 
opinion of the value of books. 

" Mr. Graham, in his theological creed, was strictly ortho- 
dox, according to the standard of his own church, which he 
greatly venerated ; but in his method of explaining some of 
the knotty points in theology, he departed considerably from 
the common track, judging that many things which have 
been involved in perplexity and obscurity by the manner in 
which they have been treated, are capable of easy and satis- 



WILLIAM GRAHAM. 



19 



factory explanation, by the use of sound principles of philoso- 
phy. As a preacher, he was always instructive and evan- 
gelical ; though in common his delivery was feeble and em- 
barrassed, rather than forcible ; but when his feelings were 
excited, his voice became penetrating and his whole man- 
ner awakening and impressive. His profound study of the 
human heart enabled him to describe the various exercises 
of the Christian, with a clearness and truth which often 
greatly surprised his pious hearers, to whom it seemed as if 
he could read the inmost sentiments of their minds. When 
his object was to elucidate some difficult point, it was his 
custom to open his trenches, so to speak, at a great dis- 
tance ; removing out of the way every obstacle, until he was 
prepared to make his assault on the main fortress. Thus 
insensibly he led his hearers along step by step, gaining their 
assent first to one proposition and then to another, until at 
last they could not easily avoid acquiescence in the conclu- 
sion to which he wished to bring them. As a clear and 
cogent reasoner, he had no superior among his contempora- 
ries ; and his pre-eminence was acknowledged by all unpre- 
judiced persons. 

" The great error of his life was his relinquishing the 
important station in which Providence had placed him, and 
for which he was so eminently qualified, and this at a time 
of life when he possessed the ability of being more useful than 
in any former period. Having removed to the banks of the 
Ohio, he fell into great embarrassments, in the midst of 
which he died, in consequence of a violent fever contracted 
by exposure to drenching rains, while on a journey to Eich- 



20 



JAMES PRIESTLY. 



mond. In that city he breathed his last, in the house of hi? 
friend, the late Colonel Kobert Gamble ; and his remains 
were deposited very near the south door of the Episcopal 
church on the hill, over which is placed a plain marble slab, 



Concerning the school which Mr. Graham taught in his 
own house, we have some remarks of Dr. Alexander, penned, 
as we believe, in the last months of his life. " Here/' says 
he, " the writer commenced his literary career, when a small 
boy. With the romantic scenery around, he has many inter- 
esting associations ; but these are feelings which cannot be 
communicated. Of the whole number of youth whom he 
found in this school, he supposes that not one remains in the 
land of the living. And when he recollects the sportive and 
joyous hours, and the little foresight which any of the num- 
ber had of their future course of life, he experiences an inde- 
scribable emotion, especially when he follows them, as he can 
in most cases, in their various fortunes. All the pupils 
were older than himself, and most were full-grown men ; 
and while some rose to eminence in different professions, 
others pursued a devious and downward course, and scarce 
lived out half their days/' f 

The private narrative goes on with further particulars 
concerning this infant college : " Mr. Graham was so com- 
pletely occupied with his new farm, that he paid little per- 
sonal attention to the school. But his usher, James Priestly, 
was fully competent. Mr. Graham had perceived his extra- 

* " Address before the Alumni of Washington College," Lexington, 1843. 
f MS. Life of the Rev. William Graham. 



with a short inscription/' * 




JAMES PRIESTLY. 



21 



ordinary memory, while yet a small boy, at a catechizing in 
the congregation ; and little Priestly was domiciliated with 
the minister. Here his progress in learning Latin and 
Greek exceeded any thing that had been known in that conn- 
try. His memory, indeed, was so retentive, that he seemed 
to forget nothing that he read or heard. It was the custom 
for all the boys who boarded with the rector, to give an ac- 
count of the sermons on Sabbath evening. Priestly, who 
seemed asleep all the time of preaching, would, nevertheless, 
repeat the sermon almost verbatim. The classics commonly 
read at school, he had so completely by heart, that I hardly 
ever saw a book in his hand, when hearing classes in Ovid, 
Virgil, Horace or Homer. He would sometimes take his 
pupils to a large spring, which bursts from the side of a 
steep hill, and rushes with noise into the river just below. 
The place is very romantic, and worth a visit from any one 
who is in Lexington. Hither Priestly would resort with his 
larger scholars, to spout the orations of Demosthenes in the 
original, with all the fire of the Grecian orator himself. He 
had about him an enthusiasm which transported -him be- 
yond himself, when the sentiments which he uttered were 
sublime. Twenty years later, I have seen him in a school of 
two hundred boys ; and when one of them did not declaim to 
his mind, he would jump out into the floor, and deliver the 
speech as he conceived it ought to be spoken. 

" Mr. Priestly did not continue to be a teacher in the school 
more than a year after my entrance. He directed his course 
towards Maryland, and soon received employment as a clas- 
sical instructor, first in Annapolis, and then in Georgetown/' 



22 



PRIESTLY — LATIN STUDIES. 



After removing to Kentucky as a lawyer, he resumed the 
business of teaching, and returned to Georgetown. After 
some time, he transferred his abode to the city of Baltimore, 
where I visited him in 1801. A few years after this he re- 
ceived an invitation to take charge of the Cumberland Col- 
lege, as it was then called, at Nashville. Here he spent the 
last years of his life ; and though all were impressed with his : 
extraordinary learning, and his high qualifications as a clas- 
sical teacher, he did not succeed well in organizing and ar- 
ranging an infant college. He was, indeed, a very eccen- 
tric, though a very amiable man, and married a woman as 
eccentric as himself/' "Dr. Priestly/' says the Lexington 
Address, above cited, " possessed an enthusiastic ardour in 
behalf of education, which I have never seen surpassed, and 
succeeded in inspiring his pupils with somewhat of the same. 
From him the speaker derived the first impulse in his literary 
course, and he, therefore, feels a pleasure in having this op- 
portunity of paying a deserved tribute to the memory of a 
teacher who was an ornament to this institution in its ear- 
liest days/' 

Even under such teachers, the attainments of our young 
scholar, as he represents them, were humble. Under 
Priestly he became thoroughly versed in Kuddiraan's Latin 
Grammar, which stuck to him through life. He was encou- 
raged by learning that the usher had spoken of him to his 
father as a boy of great promise, because, says he, " from my 
earliest years a sense of deficiency has preponderated over all 
vain conceit of my own abilities/' Under Mr. Graham, he 
proceeded in his study of languages. He speaks of being sur- 



EARLY ORATORY, 



rounded by evil companions. The school became exceed- 
ingly corrupt. A bashful and timid disposition kept him 
from many excesses ; but he records and laments his initi- 
ation into various dangerous games and foolish practices. 
About the time that he began to read Horace, he enjoyed 
the able instructions of a new usher, Archibald Koane, after- 
wards Governor of Tennessee. 

In the life of one who afterwards attracted notice as a 
public speaker, the following incidents ought to have their 
place. " The students were permitted, in order to improve 
themselves in speaking, to have public exhibitions, in which 
plays were acted. Much of our time was taken up in re- 
hearsal. I always had the part of a female, as being of the 
proper size. This I disliked very much, but it was pressed 
upon me. As to other speaking, I made a poor hand of it, 
and was seldom able to get through my speech. In writing 
and composition, nothing could be more miserable. My 
handwriting was as bad as it well could be, and I felt unable 
to compose any thing. Once I attempted to take part in a 
debate, but it was an utter failure. After the departure of 
Mr. Roane, we fell again under the tuition of Mr. Graham, 
and as he was fond of Natural Philosophy, he devoted him- 
self most cheerfully to the improvement of the pupils. The 
course which we followed was that which prevailed at 
Princeton under Dr. "Witherspoon. We had the same text- 
books, and even transcribed his lectures on Moral Philosophy 
and Criticism. Much attention was then paid to practical 
mathematics, surveying, mensuration and navigation." 

During the whole time of his connection with the 



24 



CLOSE OF SCHOOL-DAYS. 



Academy he was, according to subsequent and sober views, 
making very little advancement in mind or morals. Envi- 
roned by many idle and some profligate boys, he joined them 
in many of their ways-; though not without pungent checks 
of conscience. But the regular course of study had been 
passed through, and it was the desire of the Principal that he 
should take a regular degree, conformably to powers which 
had been granted by the Legislature. For the necessary 
examinations he now began to prepare with great diligence. 
" I was, however, conscious," says he, " that I had passed 
over most of the studies superficially, although at every 
public examination I had been placed in the first grade, 
more on account of my youth and small size and the 
promptitude of my answers, than any solid desert. But I 
had not proceeded far in my review, when my father returned 
from a journey to Fredericksburg, and informed me that he 
had made an engagement for me to be a tutor in the family 
of General Posey, of the Wilderness, twelve miles west of 
Fredericksburg. It is a little remarkable that on that 
journey he staid all night at the house of Dr. Wacldel ' 
(afterwards my father-in-law), and had nearly made an 
arrangement for me to be his assistant in the school which 
he kept. I was only a little tinned of seventeen. My 
father was very peremptory in his orders, and I could do 
nothing but obey." 

Before we leave this beautiful and picturesque scenery 
of Rockbridge, we think it suitable to give some view of the 
impression which it made on the subject of this narrative. 



INFLUENCE OF SCENERY. 



25 



It was a topic on which, he loved to dwell in animated con- 
versation, even to his latest days. His own words are these : 
" Whether the scenery with which our senses are con- 
versant in early life, has any considerable effect on the 
character of the mind, is a question not easily determined. 
It would be easy to theorize on the subject ; and formerly 
I indulged in many lucubrations, which at the time seemed 
plausible, all tending to the conclusion that minds developed 
under the constant view and impression of grand or pictur- 
esque scenery must in vigour and fertility of imagination 
be greatly superior to those who spend their youth in 
dark alleys, or in the crowded streets of a large city, where 
the only objects which constantly meet the senses are stone 
and brick walls, and dirty and offensive gutters. The child 
of the mountains, who cannot open his eyes without seeing 
sublime peaks, penetrating beyond the clouds, stupendous 
rocks, and deep and dark caverns, enclosed by frightful pre- 
cipices, thought I, must possess a vivid impression of the 
scenes of nature, by which he will be distinguished from 
those born and brought up in the city, or in the dull, mono- 
tonous plain, where there is neither grandeur nor variety. 
Perhaps there might be a little vanity mingled with these 
speculations, as it was my lot to draw the first breath of life 
at the foot of a lofty mountain, and on the bank of a roaring 
mountain torrent ; where the startling reveille was often the 
hideous howling of hungry wolves. But when I attempted 
to recollect whether I had, in the days of childhood, ever 
experienced any sensible impression from the grandeur of 
surrounding objects, or had ever been led to contemplate 



26 



THE HOUSE MOUNTAIN. 



these objects of nature with any strong emotion, I could not 
satisfy myself that any thing of this sort had ever occurred. 
The only reminiscence was of impressions made by the .: 
novelty of some object, not before seen ; or some fancied 
resemblance to something with which I was familiar. Two 
mountains, somewhat remarkable, were frequently surveyed 
by me with delight ; the House Mountain, and the Jump 
Mountain ; both appertaining to a ridge, called in the valley 
the North Mountain. The first of these is a beautiful 
mountain which stands out at some distance from the main 
ridge, and from the middle of the valley exhibits something - 
of the shape and appearance of a house. From Lexington 
and its vicinity, the view of this mountain is pleasant and 
imposing. The idea of its resemblance to a house took 
strong hold of my imagination ; and especially because at 
the western end there was the resemblance of a shed,L 
which corresponded with such an appendage to the house in 

HI 

which my childhood was spent. And now, when I revisit 
the place of my nativity, whilst almost every thing else is 
changed, the House Mountain remains the same, and I gaze 
upon it with that peculiar emotion which attends the calling 
up in a lively manner the thoughts and impressions of infan- 
cy. The idea of a perfect resemblance to a house was so deeply 
imprinted on my mind, in relation to this mountain, that I 
was greatly discomposed and disturbed in my thoughts, when 
a boy, by having occasion to travel a few miles towards the j 
east end of the mountain, and finding that every resemblance 
of a house was gone ; and when instead of one beautiful, uni- ; 
form mountain, as smooth and steep as the roof of a house, 1 



MOUNTAIN SCENERY. 27 

now beheld two rough-looking spurs, separated at a consider- 
able distance from each other. This obliteration of a pleas- 
ing idea from the mind was painful ; and whenever I was in 
a situation to see the mountain under this aspect, the un- 
pleasant impression was renewed. Every traveller among 
mountains must have noticed how remarkably they vary 
their appearances, as he changes his position ; and not only 
so, but from the same site a prominent mountain exhibits 
a wonderful variety of aspects, according to the state of the 
atmosphere. This I believe is what is called looming, and 
was much noticed by Mr. Jefferson from Monticello, particu- 
larly in relation to that remarkable isolated mountain, called 
Willis's, which elevates its head to a considerable height, at 
a great distance from any other mountain or hill. 

" But to return to my favourite, the House Mountain. In 
the days of my childhood — and perhaps it is still the case — 
this mountain was commonly burnt over every year ; that 
is, the dry leaves on the ground were burnt. When the fire 
extended in a long crooked string along the side of the 
mountain, and especially when near the top, the appearance 
was grand and beautiful in a very dark night. It had all 
the appearance of a zig-zag fire in the sky ; and whenever 
it occurred, greatly attracted and delighted the boys. It 
was in those days held as a maxim among boys, that no one 
ever had ascended, or could ascend to the ridge or summit 
of the House Mountain ; but since that time I understand 
that not only men, but women, have been successful in 
reaching the top ; and have thence surveyed the varied and 
delightful landscape of the valley, with its villages, and its 



28 



THE JUMP MOUNTAIN. 



farms, its rivers and smaller streams. I can scarcely con* 
ceive of a pleasaoter prospect than that which might be 
enjoyed from the summit of the House Mountain. 

" As to the Jump Mountain, it was only occasionally 
that I got a view of it ; and although the descent is very 
abrupt on the north side, so that the top of the mountain 
actually seems to project, my mind would have received a 
slighter impression from it, had not the first view of it been 
associated with a story told me by an older boy, that the 
reason why it was called the Jump Mountain, was because, 
at a certain time, a man had actually jumped off the top of 
the mountain, and fallen dead at its foot. This made a 
deep impression on my mind, and although I have seen the 
mountain hundreds of times since, I believe I never saw it 
without thinking of the man who took such an awful leap. 
When that species of taste is developed which delights in 
landscapes, I have not been able, with any precision, to 
ascertain. As far as my own experience goes, or rather as 
far as memory furnishes me with facts, I think that while a 
boy at school, I had no consciousness of the exercise of any 
such faculty. The love of novelty is almost coeval with oui 
existence ; but the love of the beauties of nature is slow in 
its development, and when there is no culture, it is often 
scarcely observable in mature age. Some men cast their eye 
over a lovely landscape with as little emotion as is expe- 
rienced by the horses on which they ride. The only thought 
perhaps is, how rich the land ? how many barrels of corn, 01 
hogsheads of tobacco, or bushels of wheat, might be raised 
here, to the acre ? And even the horse will experience an 



THE NATURAL BRIDGE, 



29 



emotion as elevated as his rider's, if there should happen to 
be a good clover-field in sight. As it relates to objects of 
sublimity, I have found it, except in a few cases, difficult to 
distinguish this emotion from mere wonder, or admiration. 
But in this same valley, and not very remote from the ob- 
jects of which I have spoken, there is one which, I think, 
produces the feeling which is denominated the sublime, more 
definitely and sensibly than any that I have ever seen. 1 
refer to the Natural Bridge, from which the county takes its 
name. It is not my object to describe this extraordinary 
hisus naturae, as it may be called. In fact, no representation 
which can be given by the pen or pencil can convey any 
adequate idea of the object, or one that will have the least 
tendency to produce the emotion excited by a view of the 
object itself. There are some things, then, which the trav- 
eller, however eloquent, cannot communicate to his readers. 
All I intend is, to mention the effect produced by a sight of 
the Natural Bridge on my own mind. When a boy of four- 
teen or fifteen, I first visited this curiosity. Having stood on 
the top, and looked down into the deep chasm above and 
below the bridge, without any new or very strong emotions, 
as the scene bore a resemblance to many which are common 
to that country, I descended by the usual circuitous path 
to the bottom, and came upon the stream or brook some dis- 
tance below the bridge. The first view which I obtained of 
the beautiful and elevated blue limestone arch, springing up 
to the clouds, produced an emotion entirely new ; the feeling 
was as though something within sprung up to a great height 
by a kind of sudden impulse. That was the animal sensa- 



30 



EMOTION OF THE SUBLIME. 



tion which accompanied the genuine emotion of the sublime 
Many years afterwards, I again visited the bridge. I enter- 
tained the belief that I had preserved in my mind, all along, 
the idea of the object ; and that now I should see it without 
emotion. But the fact was not so. The view, at this time, 
produced a revival of the original emotion, with the con- 
scious feeling that the idea of the object had faded away, 
and become both obscure and diminutive, but was now re- 
stored, in an instant, to its original vividness, and magnitude. 
The emotion produced by an object of true sublimity, as it 
is very vivid, so it is very short in its continuance. It seems, 
then, that novelty must be added to other qualities in the 
object, to produce this emotion distinctly. A person living 
near the bridge, who should see it every day, might be 
pleased with the object, but would experience, after a while, 
nothing of the vivid emotion of the sublime. Thus, I think, 
it must be accounted for, that the starry heavens, or the sun 
shining in his strength, are viewed with little emotion of this 
kind, although much the sublimest objects in our view ; we 
have been accustomed to view them daily, from our infancy. 
But a bright- coloured rainbow, spanning a large arch in the 
heavens, strikes all classes of persons with a mingled emotion 
of the sublime and beautiful ; to which a sufficient degree of 
novelty is added, to render the impression vivid, as often as 
it occurs. I have reflected on the reason why the Natural 
Bridge produces the emotion of the sublime, so well defined 
and so vivid ; but I have arrived at nothing satisfactory. It 
must be resolved into an ultimate law of our nature, that a 
novel object of that elevation and form will produce such an 



THE SUBLIME. 



31 



effect. Any attempt at analyzing objects of beauty and 
sublimity only tends to produce confusion in our ideas. To 
artists, such analysis may be useful ; not to increase the 
emotion, but to enable them to imitate more effectually 
the objects of nature by which it is produced. Although I 
have conversed with many thousands who had seen the Na- 
tural Bridge ; and although the liveliness of the emotion is 
very different in different persons ; yet I never saw one, of 
any class, who did not view the object with considerable 
emotion. And none have ever expressed disappointment 
from having had their expectations raised too high, by the 
description previously received. Indeed, no previous descrip- 
tion communicates any just conception of the object as it 
appears ; and the attempts to represent it by the pencil, as 
far as I have seen them, are pitiful. Painters would show 
their wisdom by omitting to represent some of the objects 
of nature, such as a volcano in actual ebullition, the sea in 
a storm, the conflagration of a great city, or the scene of 
a battle-field. The imitation must be so faint and feeble, 
that the attempt, however skilfully executed, is apt to pro- 
duce disgust, instead of admiration." 



CHAPTER SECOND. 



1789. 

TUTORSHIP — RELIGIOUS VIEWS — GENERAL POSEY — MRS. TYLER — AWAK- 
ENING — FLAVEL — WORK OF GRACE. 

BEFOEE we accompany the youthful teacher on his travel^ 
it is proper that we should gather some notices of hi3 
moral and religious experience, during the period of childhood 
and youth. This we shall do chiefly from certain volumes 
of manuscript Keminiscences, in the hands of his children. 

Having been religiously and even strictly educated, after 
the manner of the old Presbyterians, he was not without 
solemn awakenings from time to time. At an early age, he 
received deep impressions from the sermon of a travelling 
minister ; but, as a caution to parents, he records that these 
instantly vanished upon his hearing the discourse disparaged 
by his father and mother. At the particular period last 
mentioned by us, his religious view r s were crude and insuffi- 
cient. " My only notion of religion was that it consisted in 
becoming better. I had never heard of any conversion 
among the Presbyterians. — — The state of morals and reli- 
gion in that country, after the Eevolutionary War, was very 



STATE OF MORALS. 



33 



bad. The old continental soldiers, many of whom in that 
quarter were convicts, now returned, and having received 
certificates for their wages, were able to live for a while in 
idleness and dissipation. Eobert * « *, a shrewd, intelli- 
gent man, who was one of this number, had acquired a house 
in Lexington, the old farm-house of Isaac Campbell, who 
owned the land. Here he collected all the vagrants in the 
country, and a drunken bout would be kept up for weeks. 
They called themselves the Congress, and made Bob their 
president. Hard battles were fought here. The better 
class of people were as much injured by the profane and 
licentious manners of the officers of the disbanded army, as 
the lower classes by the soldiery. 

" There were a few pious people in the land, who kept up 
the power of religion, and were as salt to preserve the mass 
from universal putrefaction. Among these, the elder J ohn 
Lyle, and his wife Flora, my aunt, were conspicuous ; to 
whom may be added an old Mr. M'Nutt, Alexander "Walker, 
John Wilson and Hugh Weir ; the two last being ruling 
elders in Monmouth. These persons spake often one with 
another about the affairs of the Kingdom. They were ex- 
ceedingly dreaded by the wildest of the people, being both 
reverenced and hated. I remember having been at a dance 
in Lexington, when John Lyle, the elder, called to see a 
man with whom he had business ; and it is inconceivable 
what a consternation was spread through the company, when 
his grave and stately form was seen to approach the house. 

" Much of our time, which should have been spent in 
study, was consumed in playing cards, at which I became a 

3 



34 



DEPARTURE FROM HOME. 



great adept ; so managing, however, as to avoid detection, 
except in one instance. The vacation had taken place, and 
a number of us agreed to meet in the Academy, and there 
pursue our usual amusement. But while we surrounded the 
table, and after the cards had been dealt, Mr. Koane entered 
the room. Seeing what we were about, he seemed con- 
founded and passed along. We were in great alarm, and fell 
into a hot dispute as to whether he had made any discovery ; 
when after a few minutes he returned and spoke to us in a 
very serious and admonitory manner. But he said that if 
we would pledge ourselves never to be guilty of such an 
offence again while we were students, he would not inform 
against us. To this we readily agreed, and I kept my 
promise, for I have never thrown a card from that day to 
this." 

From what has been said, it is sufficiently obvious, that 
he left his father's house with no tokens as to the manner of 
life which he was destined to lead. His journey was a soli- 
tary one, across the Blue Kidge, a distance of one hundred 
and forty miles. And this brought him to a new and im- 
portant period of his history. 

At the early age of seventeen Archibald Alexander left 
his father's house, to become a private tutor in the family 
of General J ohn Posey, of the Wilderness, in the county of 
Spotsylvania. The family residence was in a very retired sit- 
uation, where a few persons of wealth had 'valuable estates. 
Among these, visits were frequent, but few other persons came 
into the neighbourhood. General Posey had done service 
in the Revolution as a commander of riflemen in Morgan's 



THE WILDERNESS. 



35 



famous corps, in which he finally rose to be Colonel. He was 
a man of noble appearance and courtly manners. Mrs. Po- 
sey, who had been a beauty in her youth, was now at the age 
of forty a fine and stately person. She was addicted to the 
pleasures of society, but generally took the side of religion, in 
a day when it was frequently impugned, and seemed to be 
vacillating between duty and the world. Though somewhat 
decayed in wealth, the Poseys maintained much of the style 
which belonged to old Virginia families. The pupils were 
John Posey and George and Eeuben Thornton, sons of a for- 
mer marriage ; a daughter, Lucy, came in for occasional lessons. 

The young preceptor felt the embarrassment of his new 
situation, and was burdened with a sense of his incompetency. 
One of the scholars was larger than himself, and they had 
all been taught with some accuracy. Their youthful tutor, 
though he had read largely, was well grounded in nothing 
but the grammar. Cornelius Nepos, which he read with 
them, was new to him and offered many difficulties, and his 
nights were often spent in preparing for the next day's lesson, 
amidst regrets that he had not made more faithful prepara- 
tion. But he ascribed to this pressure all the accuracy which 
he afterwards attained in the Latin language. In the latter 
part of his life he has been heard to say, that during the 
half-century then past, he had read more Latin than English. 
He carried some of his scholars into Caesar and Virgil. The 
house contained a small countiy library, and he devoted his 
spare hours to the reading of history, of which his knowledge 
was scanty. In this way he perused with much avidity 
liollin's Ancient History, his History of Kome, in sixteen 



36 



RELIGIOUS ATTAINMENTS. 



octavo volumes, Kapin's England, besides books of travels 
He attempted Locke's Essay, but with little comprehension 
of the argument. In after life he was accustomed to dissuade 
instructors from entering their pupils prematurely into philo- 
sophical works, and said in reference to this ineffectual at- 
tempt, " This fact shows that a capacity and relish for any 
particular study may be late in developing itself. Mental Sci- 
ence became afterwards my favourite study." He speaks about 
this period of one Mr. J ones, a neighbour, who had Cartesian 
books, to whom he lent Martin's Grammar of Philosophy, as 
this friend was unacquainted with the Newtonian system. In 
the seclusion of the Wilderness, far from all congenial com- 
pany, he was seldom without a book in his hand, except when 
he was giving up his mind to solitary meditation. 

As to his religious views at this time, the records which 
he has left are happily full and explicit. He had learnt the 
Shorter Catechism and a good portion of the Larger, but 
without reflection, so that he describes his ignorance as pro- 
found. With an utter aversion to what was spiritual, he 
cherished a strong predilection in favour of religion in general, 
and particularly in favour of that in which he had been brought 
up. Of the two classes of professors in his native county, 
his father belonged to the more liberal and accommodating ; 
and the son had been wont to laugh at any who gave signs 
of extraordinary devotion. Up to this time he had never felt 
any thing like a serious influence, except of the most transient 
land. From Mr. Graham, the Eev. John B. Smith, and 
other preachers of the time, who visited Eockbridge, he some- 



PREACHING OF MR. GRAHAM. 



37 



times heard startling truth, with a momentary effect, He 
remembered all his life a sermon of Adam Kanldn, who ve- 
hemently cried in one of his addresses, " ye people of 
Timber Ridge, if you are determined not to go to heaven, I 
will go without you ! ;; " It is remarkable/' 5 said he, ; ' that I 
never paid any attention to what our own preacher said in 
the pulpit. His voice was very low, and much interrupted 
by continual hemming, or clearing the throat. I thought 
him the worst preacher of all that I ever heard, but was as- 
tonished to hear a sensible man, who had no love to him, 
say that he had more sense than all the rest put together. 
While I was under his tuition, he resigned the charge of both 
his congregations, and then preached in the Academy to the 
students ; but the house was crowded with the people of his 
late charge. The students were warned, that these sermons 
they must remember, for they would be required to give the 
substance in writing. This caused us to hear with attention. 
He began with the proofs of the being of a God, and went 
on systematically. I remembered a good deal, but understood 
nothing. One day however he took a practical subject, and 
discoursed about the new views given by the illumination of 
the Holy Spirit. My attention was gamed at the commence- 
ment and fixed throughout the sermon. It seemed as if a 
new world had suddenly risen to my view ; but as soon as the 
discourse ended the scene vanished, and for years afterwards 
I never once recollected that I had such new views/' Such 
was the state of mind, when he was brought by Divine Provi- 
dence into a situation which was to prove so important to his 
higher interests. 



38 



A RELIGIOUS FRIEND. 



In the house of General Posey, an aged Christian lady. 
Mrs. Tyler, had found a refuge. She was a Baptist, and 
was well bred and well informed, having seen better days. 
In the embarrassing circumstances of the young family tutor, 
Providence raised him up an invaluable friend in this excellent 
woman. She corrected his opinions and guided him in the 
choice of useful books. Sometimes she related her own re- 
ligious experience. In early life she had been gay and fond 
of admiration. The only form of Christianity with which 
she was then acquainted was that of the English Establish- 
ment. When the Baptists first began to preach in the coun- 
try she held them in contempt, and used to go to their meet- 
ings purposely to ridicule the blunders of their ministers. 
But under a discourse from an aged stranger, she found her 
peace of mind effectually destroyed. In her deep and con- 
tinued distress she was without any adviser, and knew not 
whither to look for direction and relief. At length she came 
deliberately to the conclusion that she should certainly be 
lost. Her efforts were vain, and she sank into a calm despair. 
But she remembered to have heard that the souls in perdition 
blaspheme God in their anguish. This she felt that she could 
never do. She should for ever bless God for his goodness. 
Thinking thus, she found the plan of salvation by Christ 
opened to her view, and, filled with admiration, she owned 
herself willing to take up the cross and follow Christ. Nor 
was the self-denial small to which she was called. The Bap- 
tists, under whose ministry she was awakened, were a despised 
people in Virginia. Yet she joined them, in the face of re- 
monstrance and contempt from all her connections. Such 



BAPTfST PKEACHING. 



39 



was the narrative which she gave, adding as she turned to 
the inexperienced young man, " Now I know all this must 
appear utter nonsense to you, who have felt nothing of the 
kind/' He was silent, but was deeply convinced, from the 
solemnity of her manner, that there must be a reality in 
these things. 

Mrs. Tyler did not address to him many observations as 
to his own particular case, but she often spoke of religious 
matters. In her view, the Presbyterians, as she had seen 
them, were sound in doctrine, but deficient in inward expe- 
rience. She was anxious that he should listen to the best 
preachers of her own persuasion. This was not easy, as 
those who appeared in Spotsylvania were of an inferior sort. 
The Baptists were divided into two classes, known respect- 
ively as the Eegular and the Separate ; and the former 
regarded the latter as wild and fanatical. The Church of 
the Wilderness was served by the Separate Baptists. " Their 
stated preacher was Aaron Bledsoe, a stout, corpulent man, 
who, when he preached in warm weather, took off his coat 
and neckcloth, threw open his collar, and generally became 
so earnest that before he was done he was black in the face. 
In every sermon he gave an account of his own experience." 
The people of wealth seldom attended, but when any such 
happened to be present, Bledsoe treated them without 
leniency, and sometimes inveighed against learning, it was 
supposed for the benefit of the young teacher. These meet- 
ings exhibited those strange bodily agitations which after- 
wards became so frequent in the Southern revivals. Not 



40 



THE PIOUS MILLWRIGHT. 



only were there enthusiastic responses and outcries, but 
leaping, contortions, swooning, and convulsions. 

Mrs. Tyler was mortified at these exhibitions, and often 
expressed the wish that her young friend might hear her 
own minister, whose name was Frisbie. For this purpose 
they once set out on a short journey beyond the Rappahan- 
nock. The river was high, and they crossed it on horse- 
back at some peril. At the house of a worthy Scotch Pres- 
byterian named Morrison, they enjoyed a hospitable recep- 
tion. It was the time of a great meeting, or sacramental 
season, among the Regular Baptists. The assembly was too 
large to be contained by the small meeting-house. Mr. 
Frisbie preached out of doors. His text was, " We preach 
not ourselves, but Jesus Christ, and ourselves your servants 
for Jesus' sake." Mr. Alexander records that he was too 
much occupied with the strange and promiscuous assembly 
to pay much attention to the discourse. It contained, how- 
ever, a fling at learning, and yet was highly pleasing to Mrs. 
Tyler, who was disappointed that it had made so little im- 
pression. But the words of the private record will best con- 
tinue this part of the narrative. 

" About this time General Posey had a mill built on his 
plantation, and the millwright was a Baptist by the name 
of Waller, a brother, I think, of a famous Baptist preacher 
called Jack Waller. I often talked with this man about his 
business and other matters ; but one day he unexpectedly 
turned to me and asked me whether I believed that before a 
man could enter the kingdom of heaven he must be born 
again. I knew not what to say, for I had for some time 



THE NEW BIRTH. 



41 



been puzzled about the new birth. However, I answered in 
the affirmative. He then asked whether I had experienced 
the new birth. I hesitated, and said, ' Not that I knew of/ 
c Ah/ said he, c if you had ever experienced this change you 
would know something about it ! 9 Here the conversation 
ended ; but it led me to think more seriously whether there 
were any such change. It seemed to be in the Bible ; but I 
thought there must be some method of explaining it away ; 
for among the Presbyterians I had never heard of any one 
who had experienced the new birth, nor could I recollect 
ever to have heard it mentioned. This became about the 
same time a subject of discussion at the table, after old Mrs. 
Tyler had withdrawn, especially on Sunday. In these con- 
versations Mrs. Posey, who professed to be a c seeker/ de- 
fended the Baptist opinions, and so did old Mrs. William 
Jones, who I believe was a truly pious woman. General 
Posey declared that he did not believe in any such miracu- 
lous change, but added that he would credit it, if Mrs. Posey 
should ever profess that she had experienced it. Mr. Wil- 
liam Jones was a good-natured, luxurious, skeptical man, 
who avoided giving offence by any avowal of his opinions, 
out plainly insinuated that religion was a disease of weak 
and superstitious minds, and that all that was necessary for 
a cure was an acquaintance with philosophy. Major Jones 
cared for none of these things. His opinion was that preach- 
ing was as much a trade as any thing else/' These details 
give glimpses of a state of society which many a reader will 
recognise as familiar. 

Mrs. Tyler pursued her calm religions course amidst all 



42 



SKEPTICISM. 



these misapprehensions. She loved the writings of John 
Flavel, and could not but desire to make them known to 
the youthful Presbyterian inquirer. As her eyes were weak 
she often sent for him to read to her, a request with which 
he complied at first out of courtesy, and afterwards from 
some increase of interest in the author. Learning that 
Flavel was a Presbyterian, he took pains to discover what 
were his views of regeneration. He had never read any 
thing upon the evidences of Christianity. Though he knew 
of infidel books in the hands of other young men, he had 
never read them, feeling no interest in the argument. But 
now, when his mind began to be enlarged by the reading of 
history, and he found that there were other religions, the 
professors of which were fully confident of their systems, he 
was staggered, and asked himself what basis he had for his 
own belief. This doubt was increased by the knowledge 
that many intelligent men in the country rejected revela- 
tion, and under the influence of French philosophy that 
these opinions were rapidly on the increase. Still he felt a 
strong reluctance to give up the truth of Christianity, and 
the prejudices of education were salutary. 

" So ignorant was I (thus he writes) that I did not 
know that any book had ever been written in defence of 
Christianity ; of course, I knew not whither to go to have 
my doubts removed and my faith strengthened. My mind 
became anxious on the subject, which frequently dwelt on 
my thoughts. It happened, providentially, that into a trunk 
of classical and scientific books, sent to me from home at my 
request, some lady had thrown a coarse pamphlet, which I 



SOAME JENYNS. 



43 



had often seen tossing about at home ; and when I now saw 
it, I felt displeased that this old pamphlet should have been 
sent. But on looking at -the title-page, I observed the word 
f Evidences/ and it struck me immediately that it was possi- 
bly something in favour of Christianity. On further inspec- 
tion, I saw that I was not mistaken, for the whole title was 
I Internal Evidences of the Christian Keligion, by Soame 
Jenyns, Esq/ I was rejoiced ; and as all the family had 
gone to church, I sat down and began to read. At every 
step conviction flashed across my mind, with such bright 
and overwhelming evidence, that when I ceased to read, the 
room had. the appearance of being illuminated. I never had 
such a feeling from the simple discovery of truth. And it 
is my opinion, that no argument of the external or historical 
kind would have produced such a conviction/' This inci- 
dent sufficiently accounts for the warm terms in which, even 
to the close of life, Dr. Alexander was accustomed to recom- 
mend this treatise of Jenyns, though with an earnest pro- 
test against the whimsies of the brilliant but sometimes chi- 
merical author. 

What has been related shows a mind under divine lead- 
ings. In addition, he says of himself, that he had often 
prayed mentally when he was in danger, or when his friends 
were ill, but was wholly a stranger to secret prayer, as a ha- 
bitual practice. Now he began to have a concern about his 
salvation, which led him to retirement. Every morning, 
when the weather would permit, he took a long, solitary 
walk through the fields, terminating it at the Wilderness 
Creek, which ran along the border of the plantation. Here 



44 



FLAVEL, 



he found some plots of green grass, surrounded by thickets, 
and overhung by great birch trees ; and here, with his 
knife, he made a booth or arbour. To this sequestered spot 
he used to retire for prayer, taking some volume with him, 
on the Lord's day. He records that on a certain Sunday 
evening, his meditations of God and divine things became 
solemn and delightful, so that he was unwilling to withdraw 
his thoughts from these objects, when it became necessary to 
return home. But all this was without a radical reformation 
of character. 

" My services as a reader (such is his own account) were 
frequently in requisition, not only to save the eyes of 
old Mrs. Tyler, but on Sundays for the benefit of the 
whole family. On one of these Sabbath evenings, I was re- 
quested to read out of Flavel. The part on which I had 
been regularly engaged was the c Method of Grace ; ' but 
now, by some means, I was led to select one of the sermons 
on Kevelation iii. 20, " Behold I stand at the door and 
knock/' &c. The discourse was upon the patience, forbear- 
ance and kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ to impenitent 
and obstinate sinners. As I proceeded to read aloud, the 
truth took effect on my feelings, and every word I read 
seemed applicable to my own case. Before I finished the 
discourse, these emotions became too strong for restraint, 
and my voice began to falter. I laid down the book, rose 
hastily, and went out with a full heart, and hastened to my 
place of retirement. No sooner had I reached the spot than 
I dropped upon my knees, and attempted to pour out my 
feelings in prayer ; but I had not continued many minutes 



EARLY JOY. 



45 



in this exercise before I was overwhelmed with a flood of 
joy. It was transport such as I had never known before, 
and seldom since. I have no recollection of any distinct 
views of Christ ; but I was filled with a sense of the good- 
ness and mercy of God ; and this joy was accompanied with 
a Ml assurance that my state was happy, and that if I was 
then to die, I should go to heaven. This ecstacy was too high 
to be lasting, but as it subsided, my feelings were calm and 
happy. It soon occurred to me that possibly I had experi- 
enced the change called the new birth. But as I was walk- 
ing homeward, the thought presented itself, that if this was 
indeed conversion, the effect would be that I should leave off 
all my sins ; and I was willing to make this the criterion of 
my state. For a few days I guarded against every thing 
which I knew to be wrong ; but in a week my former feel- 
ings returned, and when exposed to temptation I trans 
gressed as before. The next day the recollection filled me 
with unutterable anguish ; for, agreeably to my own judg- 
ment, my hopes of heaven, which had been so strong, were 
all blasted. I make no remarks on this joyful frame. Such 
experiences are not uncommon, and are often taken for con- 
version/' 

By reading so much in Flavel, and hearing the remarks 
of his aged friend, he began to emerge somewhat from his 
former ignorance, and to comprehend the cardinal doctrines 
of Christianity. About this time, a little book, " Jenks on 
Justification by Faith/' fell into his hands. This treatise 
he read with an effect not unlike what had proceeded from 
the perusal of Jenyns. Before this he had been in darkness 



46 



INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE. 



and perplexity as to the way of acceptance with God, or, as 
he expressed it, he was leaning on the old covenant. " Now 
every thing appeared as clear as if written with a sunbeam. 
The effect on Mrs. Posey was similar ; for she spoke of the 
book in the most exalted terms. I recollect that the author, 
who was a clergyman of the Church of England, confesses 
he had preached for a long time without knowing the true 
method of salvation. And when his eyes were opened, he 
published this little volume, to open the eyes of other legal- 
ists. It is somewhat remarkable, that from that day to this, 
a period of half a century, chiefly spent among books, I have 
never seen another copy of this work, and have never con- 
versed with any one who knew it ; so that at length I began 
to think that I had forgotten the true title ; but about a 
year ago, I happened to see a favourable mention of it, 
under the very name which I had preserved in my memory. 

" I now began to read Flavel for my own instruction, and 
also Burkitt, which was the only commentary in the house. 
The two great doctrines of Justification and Kegeneration 
I began to understand, at least in theory. A good sermon 
was now a feast to me. At the Wilderness meeting-house, 
one Sunday, we found in the pulpit a grave, well-looking 
man, named Saunders, who had for his text, 1 John ii. 2, 3. 
His explanation of Christ's propitiatory work for the whole 
world, in which he opposed the Arminians and Universalists, 
gave me great satisfaction. He was one of the Eegular 
Baptists. 

" This year, 1788-89, was in many respects the most im- 
portant of my life. If I had not the beginnings of a work of 



PROGRESS OF AWAKENING, 



47 



i grace, rny mind was enlightened in the knowledge of truths ? 
of which I had lived in total ignorance. I began to love the 
truth, and to seek after it, as for hid treasure. To J ohn 
Flavel I certainly owe more than to any uninspired author. 
During the year I paid one visit to my friends in Lexington, 
and heard Mr. Graham preach a sermon on the text, ' For our 
righteousnesses are as filthy rags/ The utter insignificancy 
of our own works, and the need of a better righteousness 
than our own, were of course the subjects. It was the first 
intelligent discourse to which I had listened since my new 
understanding of the doctrines in question, and it gave me 
great satisfaction ; but when I looked around upon the 
people, I had the impression that they were generally in the 
same state of darkness and legality in which I had lived so 
long. As good Mrs. Tyler, who I doubt not had a tender 
concern for my salvation and prayed often for me, was a 
Baptist, she naturally wished me to know what she believed 
to be the truth on that subject ; and she put into my hands 
Gill's work on Baptism. This perplexed me not a little, for 
I had strong predilection for the way in which I had been 
educated, especially as I found that Flavel was a Presbyteri- 
an. And in turning over the large volume containing his 
works (the two being bound in one) I met with a controver- 
sial piece on this very subject, written against Gary. This I 
read with avidity and with full conviction that his arguments 
were valid, though I now doubt as to the conclusiveness of 
some texts on which he mainly rests the cause." 

At the close of the year he returned to his native scenes, 
in the beautiful and romantic county of Eockbridge. 



CHAPTER THIRD. 



1789—1790. 

RETURN HOME — GREAT REVIVAL — VISIT BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS — REVH AL 
SCENES — STRUGGLES OF SOUL — SAMUEL MORRIS — JOHN BLAIR SMITH-— 
WILLIAM GRAHAM — PROGRESS OF INWARD WORK. 

THE period to which our narrative now brings us was re- 
markable, in the history of the Southern churches, for that 
wide-spread religious movement known as the Great Revival. 
As few were more familiar with this awakening than Dr. 
Alexander, and few have left more copious notes in regard to 
it, we feel justified in giving particulars which may sometimes 
lead us to deviate from the strict line of biography. Many 
of the sketches of eminent men are too interesting to be 
omitted, and belong to the characteristic history of the times. 

It must have been in the year 1789 that the young 
preceptor returned to his father's house, with a determination 
to supply the defects of his intellectual training. We find 
him therefore retiring for days to the woods, and devoting 
himself to Euclid and Horace. But the year was to be sig- 
nalized by higher progress. He found his eldest sister much 
changed, and earnestly engaged in seeking acquaintance with 
God. A startling death among the connection brought him 



VISIT TO THE REVIVAL. 



4S 



into new terrors. At the same time he was thrown into 
confusion by Dr. Chauncy's defence of universal salvation, 
which was officiously put into his hands by a latitudinarian 
doctor. There was at this time no church in Lexington ; 
but he speaks of a funeral discourse which so affected his mind 
that he retired into a grove with a volume of Whitefield's 
sermons, and spent the afternoon in reading and prayer ; 
and with his characteristic attachment to localities, he adds 
that this grove is now cut down. On a vacant Sunday he 
heard one of Willison's Sermons on the Lord's Supper read 
to the congregation, and was convinced of his duty in regard 
to this ordinance, while he knew that he was destitute of 
preparation. 

A rumour had come into the quiet settlement, of an 
extraordinary religious awakening, on the other side of the 
Mountain, as the great dividing Blue Eiclge is familiarly 
called. The Eev. Mr. Graham prepared to visit the scene 
of these wonders, and proposed to take young Alexander 
among other companions. All such journeys were of course 
made on horseback, and amidst mountain scenes and in a 
hospitable country were sufficiently exciting. "On our jour- 
ney/' says he, " Mr. Graham was very open and communica- 
tive ; at first on philosophical subjects, in which he took great 
delight, and then upon religious matters, when he found me 
interested in these. We discoursed particularly on the sub- 
ject of Justification by Faith and Eegeneration. My com- 
panion, Samuel Wilson, was astonished to hear me converse 
on topics, concerning which when together at the Academy 
neither of us had formed any opinions. Mr. Graham also 



50 



TALK BY THE WAY. 



was surprised at the extent and accuracy of the knowledge 
which I appeared to have on subjects to which very few 
young men in our part of the country had turned their 
thoughts. The fact was, I purposely turned the conversation 
to those interesting truths on which my mind had been so 
much exercised^ merely with a view to ascertain whether the 
conclusions to which I had come after much thought and 
inquiry were in unison with his views, and whether he agreed 
with Flavel and the other authors I had been reading. I had 
no thought of making any display of knowledge : for it never 
entered my mind that I had acquired any stock of theologi- 
cal doctrine. These conversations, however, had a depressing 
influence on my companion, who was several years older than 
myself, and who was conscious that he knew little about 
matters on which I talked so freely/' 

The party was hastening to arrive at a celebration of the 
Lord's Supper, at a place called Briery, near the borders of 
Charlotte and Prince Edward Counties. On their way they 
were entertained at Liberty, in the house of Michael Graham, 
father of the late Professor Samuel L. Graham, of the Union 
Theological Seminary. The whole time was spent in hear- 
ing from him and especially from his pious and more eloquent 
wife, accounts of the revival, with narratives of particular 
cases. Here they heard of the conversion of James Turner, 
afterwards known as one of the most remarkable masters of 
natural but irresistible oratory. Turner had been a profli- 
gate and a ringleader in all the profane and violent amuse- 
ments of the time. But now he was holding meetings and 
exhorting. Pursuing their expedition they came to the house 



SAMUEL MORRIS, 



51 



of Major Trigg, whose aged mother was one of the Eev, 
Samuel Davies' s communicant s, a woman of great piety and 
goodness. She spoke of Mr. Davies with much reverence and 
affection. She said to Mr. Graham, "I have never attained 
to the faith of assurance, but only to the faith of reliance/ 1 
He answered promptly, " If you know you have the faith of 
reliance, you have the faith of assurance also." The month 
was August, and our travellers were exposed to the rays of 
a Virginian sun, without the shelter of an umbrella, a con- 
venience (our journalist notes) which had not then come into 
use. But they were joyfully welcomed to the house of Samuel 
Morris, a name sacred in the annals of American Presbyterian- 
ism, which may justly detain us for a little. 

Mr. Morris had removed from Hanover, and was now 
residing in the lower end of Campbell County. It was he 
who was instrumental in the revival of gospel truth, by the 
reading of evangelical books in the Eeading-House of Hanover 
County, long before the arrival of any Presbyterian missionary. 
"As we approached through the fields, we saw the old 
gentleman walking homeward, as if like Isaac he had been 
meditating." " Samuel Morris was at this time between 
seventy and eighty years of age, but had the appearance of 
firm health. But for his being bowed with age, his stature 
must have been six feet. His frame was large, his shoulders 
were broad, and though he was somewhat bald, the thick hair 
about the sides of the head was not gray. He had one son, 
and a number of daughters. Mr. Morris gave Mr. Graham a 
detailed account of the origin and progress of Presbyterianism 
in Hanover, before Mr. Davies came to settle there ; the 



52 



SMITH AND GRAHAM. 



same, I presume, which he put into writing for Mr. Da- 
vies, who included it in a letter to Dr. Bellamy.. The old 
gentleman had heard of the revival in Prince Edward, 
and seemed to be much interested in it. He said he under- 
stood that one of the preachers, Mr. Lacy, resembled White- 
field." 

There had never been any revival in the Valley, and few 
of the Scottish Presbyterians there resident had much faith 
in these sudden awakenings. They had heard of a work of 
this kind in Western Pennsylvania, under the labours of the 
Kev. Joseph Smith, the Eev. John McMillan, and others ; 
but the general impression was that these religious commo- 
tions would pass away like the morning cloud. J ohn Lyle, 
an eminently vain, ostentatious, and dissipated young man, 
who had avowed infidel opinions, returned from Franklin, 
now East Tennessee, with a mind and character signally 
renewed, and this served to awaken new expectations of the 
scenes which they were about to visit. 

As the travellers approached the place of their destina- 
tion, there was an interesting meeting between the two 
great preachers of Virginia. Mr. Graham had enjoyed very 
little friendly intercourse with Mr. Smith for a number of 
years ; indeed a certain coolness existed between them in 
consequence of some difference in Presbytery, which was not 
however of a personal nature. But now Mr. Smith had 
specially invited Mr. Graham to come over and see the 
great works of the Lord. The Kockbridge party turned 
aside from the road to await the arrival of the people re- 
turning from the Saturday's service, which usually preceded 



MB. LEGBAND. 



53 



the communion. "While we were here/' says the narra- 
tive, " a novel and solemn scene presented itself. A large 
company of young people on horseback, as they slowly 
passed along, were engaged in singing hymns. Most of this 
company, I afterwards learned, were young converts, who 
had come over from Caswell County, North Carolina, with 
the Eev. Nash LeG-rand. They had travelled fifty or sixty 
miles to attend the sacrament, and were full of zeal and 
affection. The music resounded through the woods in an 
agreeable and impressive manner. Mr. LeGrand, who had 
been remarkably converted during the revival, having just 
finished his college course, was, with very little preparation, 
except an ardent zeal, brought into the ministry by Dr. 
Smith, and sent into North Carolina, where a powerful influ- 
ence seemed to accompany his preaching. After nearly all 
the people who were returning had passed, came Dr. John 
Blair Smith, accompanied by several of the elders of his 
church, and other friends. As soon as he espied Mr. Gra- 
ham, he stopped and received him with a hearty greeting." 

They were now in the very midst of revival scenes. 
Among the persons, then in youth, whom they here met, 
was William Hill, now the venerable Dr. Hill of Win- 
chester. 

But the prominent figure in every group was undoubt- 
edly Dr. John B. Smith. It is unnecessary to adduce many 
facts concerning a man so well known in our history. He 
was a son of the Bev. Dr. Bobert Smith, of Pequea, Penn- 
sylvania, and of course a brother of the Bev. Samuel' Stan- 
hope Smith, D. D., of Princeton. Smith, as well as Gra- 



54 



JOHN BLAIR SMITH. 



ham, was educated at the college of New Jersey, and when 
his brother Samuel founded Hampden Sidney College, 
John became a tutor or professor in the same, and was 
licensed by the Presbytery of Hanover. When his brother 
was called to Princeton, John Blair Smith was made Presi- 
dent of Hampden Sidney. 

" His natural disposition was full of vivacity, his temper 
quick, and his action rapid. At the beginning of his min- 
istry he did not manifest great zeal, and his preaching was 
less impressive than his brother's ; but at the commence- 
ment of the great revival in 1786 or 1787, he underwent a 
remarkable change in his own feelings and in the fervency 
of his preaching, so that he became one of the most power- 
ful preachers I ever heard. In person he was about the 
middle size. His hair was uncommonly black, and was 
divided on the top, and fell down on each side of the face. 
A large blue eye of open expression was so piercing that it 
was common to say Dr. Smith looked you through. His 
voice had an unusual solemnity, and always affected me, 
whatever was said. Dr. Smith was as fearless a man as 
ever lived, and his quickness of temper sometimes led him to 
act rashly, and incur enmity which might have been avoided. 
As a companion, he was most agreeable. His treatment of 
young ministers was soothing to the diffident, and his man- 
ner of introducing them to strangers was peculiarly agree- 
able to their feelings. His preaching was far from being 
uniform, for sometimes he fell short of his usual force from 
the state of his feelings. His sermons were always well 
prepared, but nothing was written out, except the introduc- 



JOHN BLAIR SMITH. 



55 



tion, which he commonly prepared with great care : and its 
only fault was that it was grandiloquent. Within the leaves 
of a small Bible which he held in his hand he had a small 
paper containing the introduction, all the divisions and sub- 
divisions, leading thoughts, and cited texts, which last he 
always read out of the Bible. His speaking was impetuous ; 
after going on deliberately for a while, he would suddenly 
grow warm and be carried away with a violence of feeling, 
which was commonly communicated to his hearers. If 
opposed to him in sentiment they were often aroused to great 
wrath. The most powerful sermon I ever heard from him 
was in defence of the revival as a work of God. It was 
directed more especially against the Seceders, who, to a man, 
set themselves in opposition to it. It was delivered in the 
grove near New Monmouth, immediately aft en the com- 
munion, to the largest congregation which had ever been 
collected in that county. Many of the leading Seceders 
were present. He told them of the opposition of their sect 
to Whitefield, and to the revival at Cambuslang. Next 
day I heard one of them say that if ever any man was pos- 
sessed of a devil in modern times, it was John Blair Smith 
when he delivered that sermon. He was eminently discrim- 
inating and perspicacious ; but if he failed to see through a 
difficulty at the first glance, he commonly failed to do so by 
any further attempt. He was perhaps censorious in his 
judgment of professors who discovered any lukewarmness, 
and would often declare to his friends of such and such per- 
sons, that they did not possess a spark of religion. No man 
in Virginia was so much admired as a preacher : but after 



56 



REVIVAL MEETINGS. 



his removal to Philadelphia, where he bestowed more care 
on accuracy, he lost much of that impressive manner, which 
carried away and captivated his hearers during the revival," 

On arriving at the neighbourhood of Little Boanoke 
Bridge, the company addressed themselves to preparation for 
the approaching solemnities. There were strangers from every 
quarter, including fifty from Carolina. Some of them were 
newly converted young men, who spoke with warmth and 
freedom of their late worldiiness or even infidelity, and their 
present faith and joy. " The meeting was very much crowded. 
Here (says the record) I first got a fair sight of Dr. John 
Blair Smith. His appearance was more solemn than that 
of any one I had ever seen, and caused a feeling of awe to 
come over me. As Mr. Graham was exhausted by riding in 
the heat, Dr. Smith called on a very young man, Mr. C, 
to pray. Next he called on William Hill to exhort. This 
astonished me. How a person so young should have the 
courage and ability to speak in public and before such an 
audience, I could not conceive ; but he delivered a warm and 
pungent address, on the Barren Fig Tree, which affected my 
feelings very much. Then, after prayer, Dr. Smith himself 
addressed a powerful and solemn discourse to the company. 

" My mind was considerably excited by what I saw and 
heard on the Saturday evening. The question of professing 
my faith returned upon me with force. Having never spoken 
freely to any one of my own religious exercises, I felt great 
backwardness to open the subject, and indeed I had had no 
opportunity of conversing with my pastor. On the morning 
of the Sabbath the roads were covered with multitudes flock- 



• 



THE SACRAMENT 



57 



Lng to the place of worship, at Briery. The house was not 
sufficient to hold half the people ; an arbour had been pre- 
pared, with a stand for the preachers, and the intention was 
to have the sacrament as well as the sermon out of doors. 
Dr. Smith preached the Action Sermon, as it was called in 
Scottish phrase. The text was Psalm li. 17, i The sacrifices 
of God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart, 
God, thou wilt not despise/ It was especially intended to 
comfort diffident and discouraged believers. The evidences of 
piety which he laid down were such as I could for the most 
part find in myself : so that I felt much regret that I had 
not taken measures to partake of the ordinance. Though the 
morning was clear, the appearances of rain were threatening ; 
after consultation it was therefore determined to administer 
the sacrament within the house. Notice was given that while 
arrangements were making, Mr. LeGrand would preach in 
the grove behind the church. I resorted to the place, where 
I first had a sight of this successful young minister. At this 
time there was much that was striking in his aspect. He 
was tall, but rather bending in his attitude, and his counte- 
nance was solemn and benignant, with a shade of melancholy. 
He stood upon a horse-block, and preached a discourse which, 
though inaccurate and incoherent, was delivered with pecu- 
liarities of voice that made their way to the feelings. After 
the communicants had retired, the Rev. Samuel Houston 
preached to the non-communicants under the arbour. Aftei 
hearing Mr. Houston, whose sermon was interrupted by the 
rain, I pressed with much difficulty into the house, where 
Mr. Graham was preaching. Little did I think, that I should 



58 



HAMPDEN SIDNEY. 



ever preach in that pulpit, and become the pastor of that 
people ! There "was on the face of the assembly an appear- 
ance of tender and earnest solemnity. Never had I heard 
my pastor speak with such warmth and pathos as on this 
occasion. His text was Isaiah xl. 1, 6 Comfort ye, comfort 
ye my people/ etc. The part which I heard was the address 
to the impenitent, in which under a series of particulars 
he showed them their comfortless state. The good people 
of Briery were entranced. They had expected a very cold 
and dry discourse. Dr. Smith afterwards said to me of this 
sermon, that it was the best he had ever heard, except one ; 
and the one excepted was preached during the revival by the 
Eev. James Mitchell, who was never reckoned a great 
preacher. Every mouth was filled with expressions of admi- 
ration, and from this time, Mr. Graham was considered one 
of the ablest preachers in the land." 

" On Monday after the Communion, we went to Hampden 
Sidney, in the county of Prince Edward, where Mr. Lyle, 
already named, showed us much attention and introduced 
us to the Eev. Drury Lacy, who then as Vice-President had 
charge of the institution, in consequence of Dr. Smith's 
having resigned the presidentship. I was much pleased with 
the free and candid manners and conversation of Mr. Lacy. 
By the early loss of his left hand, from the bursting of a gun 
when a boy, Mr. Lacy had been led to fit himself for teaching 
an English school. In this calling he early acquired a high 
reputation, especially as he wrote an incomparably beautiful 
hand. As he taught for some time in Cumberland, where 
Dr. Smith preached on the alternate Sabbaths, he received 



MR. LACY. 



59 



an invitation to come and learn at the College. Having 
about that time experienced a change of hearty he joyfully 
accepted the offer, immediately began the study of Latin, 
rapidly passed through the curriculum and was licensed 
to preach as a probationer. Having a voice which was loud 
and clear, and a very distinct articulation, with a warm 
heart, he was from the first very popular and effective as a 
preacher. And as the great revival in the vicinity soon 
commenced, Mr. Lacy was much employed in various places, 
but being fond of teaching continued his residence at the 
College. By many, his preaching during the revival was 
preferred even to that of Dr. Smith ; it was plain and ex- 
perimental, and there were manifest seals to his ministry. 
Though deficient in accuracy he was unusually acceptable 
abroad, and at presbyteries and synods, when the assemblies 
were large and the services in the open air, he was commonly 
chosen for the work, as his penetrating tones could reach the 
outskirts of any congregation. He was a man of great hu- 
mility, remarkably exempt from envy, of a sociable and 
friendly temper, and greatly esteemed and beloved by his 
brethren. Having suffered long with a calculous affection, 
he resorted to the surgical aid of the celebrated Dr. Physick 
of Philadelphia ; but a fever ensued, and in a few days he 
expired. I had at his request taken my passage in the stage- 
coach for Philadelphia to see him ; but before the hour of 
departure I received a note from his kind host Mr. Eobert 
Kalston, advising me not to come, lest it should agitate him 
too much, especially as I had received from Dr. Hoge the 
sad intelligence that Mrs. Lacy, whom he left in health, 



60 



DOUBTS AND FEARS. 



had died of the putrid fever. He left the world in igno- 
rance of this bereavement, to enjoy the surprise of meeting 
his beloved wife in the invisible state. His remains he in 
the cemetery of the Arch Street Church, Two of his sons, 
and three of his grandsons are in the ministry." 

During this excursion, Mr. Alexander was taken by Mr. 
Graham to visit the celebrated orator, Patrick Henry ; to 
whose eloquence he had several opportunities of listening, at 
a later period. Mr. Graham remained more than * week in 
Prince Edward, and preached several times at private houses. 
His sermons were intended to discriminate between what was 
essential and what was incidental in religious experience. 
He was careful to show that true religion consisted more in 
the strength of the habitual purpose of soul, than in high 
affections. " I understood his discourses," it is here added, 
" and thought I could find the evidences of vital piety, as 
proposed by him, in myself. But hearing much of sudden 
conversions, and of persons being convulsed with severe con- 
viction, I concluded that the hopes which I entertained must 
be fallacious, and that they prevented my being truly con- 
vinced of sin. This occasioned great perplexity, and I felt a 
strong desire to make my case known to Dr. Smith. As we 
were to journey together to Bedford, I hoped for an opportu- 
nity to have his judgment. Mr. Graham had hitherto said 
nothing to me about my personal feelings ; but when we 
returned to Charlotte, at our lodging at old Mrs. Morton's at 
Little Koanoke Bridge, he took me out and conversed with 
me. I freely related my difficulties, but he made little or 
no reply. Dr. Smith was to preach the funeral sermon of 



INCREASING CONFLICT. 



6< 



an unfortunate young woman, who had been killed by falling 
from a horse as she was returning from an entertainment. 
To this solemnity I looked forward, as one well suited to 
produce conviction. On the way I fell into company with 
Susan Watkins," afterwards by a second marriage the wife of 
the Kev. Dr. Hoge, " and found her remarkably communica- 
tive, so that I could open my mind to her with less restraint 
than to any one I had met. She told me her own experience 
and encouraged and exhorted me to go forward in seeking 
religion. My expectations of being deeply affected by Dr. 
Smith's sermon on this sorrowful occasion were utterly disap- 
pointed. I was not only conscious of no suitable emotion, 
but my thoughts were to an uncommon degree wandering. 
I however had the opportunity of conversing with Dr. Smith. 
I related to him my various exercises, but added that I had 
still fallen into sin after these exercises ; upon which he said, 
in his decided, peremptory way, that then they were certain- 
ly not of the nature of true religion, which always destroys 
the power and dominion of sin ; and he proceeded to account 
for the joy I had experienced, on other principles. From 
this time I abandoned all persuasion that I had experienced 
regenerating grace. My desire now was to be brought under 
such alarming convictions of sin, as I had heard of in the 
case of others. But that evening, which I spent in the forest, 
I was greatly distressed on account of my exceeding hardness 
of heart. I rolled on the ground in anguish of spirit, be- 
wailing my insensibility. We lodged at the house of a pious 
man, a nephew of Samuel Morris, and the next day went on 
to Bedford. 



62 



SOLITUDE AND CONTRITION. 



" When we arrived at Liberty, we met nearly thirty of 
our friends from Kockbridge who had come over to the 
sacrament, among whom was my eldest sister. They seemed 
already under a solemn impression, even before attending 
any services. The preaching was continued several days at 
the Peaks Meeting-House, and the communion was on the 
Sabbath. It was a time of great emotion, and none seemed 
more affected than the Kockbridge company. 

" While I was at Liberty I experienced exercises of mind 
which were remarkable. The place was a little out of the 
town in a thicket, at the edge of a wood. I had in the 
morning walked out into this grove, and while thus engaged 
in meditation and prayer, I was suddenly visited with such 
a melting of heart as I never had before or since. Under a 
lively sense of Divine goodness my eyes became a fountain of 
tears. The most prominent feelings were a sense of ingrati- 
tude for the innumerable mercies which had been richly and 
constantly showered upon me. When I now reflect upon 
it, it seems like a sudden change in the animal system, and 
a relief arising from a vent found for tears. The immediate 
result was a sweet composure of spirit. I cannot remember 
that I had any thought of Christ, or much contrition for my 
sins ; and this melting frame, the counterpart of which I 
never experienced, led to no permanent change in my con- 
dition ; in a few hours I felt much as before it occurred/' 

The progress of this mental conflict may be noted in the 
following record, concerning a later day, in the same journey. 
" The former part of the day I spent in the woods, rumina- 
ting on my sad condition and future prospects. The train 



DEPARTURE OF HOPE. 



63 



of my thought was, that I had enjoyed the very best means 
and opportunities of salvation, but these had produced no good 
effect ; that I was now going where all were careless of these 
things, and where the means would be far less favourable. 
The conclusion forced itself upon me that I should certainly 
be lost for ever. My mind was calm and my thoughts de- 
liberate, and when I came to this result I was nowise agi- 
tated, but began to contemplate the justice of God in my 
condemnation. It was evident to me that as a righteous 
Governor he could not do otherwise than condemn me to 
hell ; and I could not but approve the sentence of my own 
condemnation. Yet I felt that I could never entertain any 
hard thoughts of God, even when suffering under his heavy 
displeasure. These views were so far from increasing my 
distress, that I experienced a degree of composure which I 
nad not had for a long time. The awful question in regard 
to my destiny appeared now to be settled, and I felt no need 
of prayer or further waiting on God. I returned to the 
house, and there found the Kev. James Mitchell, pastor of 
the Presbyterian church in that county. He had never been 
introduced to me, but invited me into an adjoining room. 
He then began to enumerate the high privileges which I had 
enjoyed in my visit to Prince Edward, and said he hoped I 
had received abiding impressions from the many powerful 
sermons which I had heard, and from seeing so many young 
people engaged in religion and forsaking all for Christ. I 
answered deliberately, that what he had remarked about my 
privileges was very true ; but that however great the means, 
they had proved of no avail to me ; I had not yet in any 



64 



KENEWED PEACE. 



degree experienced those convictions without which I could 
not expect to be saved, and that being now about to leave 
all these means, I had that day come to the conclusion that 
I should certainly be lost ; that I knew it would be just, and 
that I had no one to blame but myself. To which he an- 
swered, that no certain degree of conviction was prescribed ; 
that the only purpose which conviction could answer was to 
show us our need of Christ, f and this/ added he, c you have/ 
He then represented Christ as an Advocate before the throne 
of G-od, ready to undertake my cause, and able to save to 
the uttermost all that come unto God by him. A new view 
opened before me at this moment. I did feel that I needed 
a Saviour, and I knew that Christ as an Advocate was able 
to save me. This mere probability of salvation, after having 
given up all hope, was like the dawn of morning upon a dark 
sight ; it was like life from the dead. From that instant I 
entertained a joyful hope that I should yet be saved. These 
new views affected me exceedingly. I was like a man con- 
demned to die, who is unexpectedly informed that there is 
a friend who can obtain a reprieve. I was unable to say 
any thing. My tears prevented utterance." 

In continuing the journey, " I rode along alone/' says he, 
"and my mind was in a state of delightful repose ; cheering 
promises came into my mind, as though they dropped from 
heaven. When Mr. Mitchell commenced the prayer-meet- 
ing, at a town on the way, he called- upon my companion, 
Samuel Wilson, to pray. After a word or two of exhortation, 
and a hymn, I was in like manner called upon, and did not 
hesitate to make the attempt, although in any other state 



HOME. 



65 



of mind in which I had ever been, I should as soon have 
agreed to rise and preach extempore. I was astonished at 
myself, and though altogether unaccustomed to pray, I was 
delivered from the fear of man, and was enabled to get 
through without serious obstruction. This manner of treat- 
ing young persons under religious impressions, I have always 
disapproved. It was intended to bring us to take a decided 
part, before we returned home ; and it no doubt had the 
effect of causing us to feel that we were now committed. 
The next morning we set out for Lexington, about thirty in 
number, and sang revival hymns as we rode along. On the 
top of the Blue Eidge we halted at a spring to partake of a 
viaticum, which some of the company had been provident 
enough to bring along. Mr. Le Grand appeared to be very 
happy, and talked freely with us all, exhorting us to perse- 
vere boldly in the cause of Christ when we reached home." 



CHAPTER FOURTH. 



1789—1790 

REVIVAL IN ROCKBRIDGE — EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE IN THE FOREST- 
CHARACTER OF THE WORK OF GRACE — PRINCETON COLLEGE ILLNESS- 
JOURNEYING REC VER Y — PRO GRESS. 

THERE is something of amiable youthful simplicity in 
the confidence with which the returning company ex- 
pected an immediate manifestation of awakening grace on 
their arrival at Lexington. Notice was duly given of a 
meeting for prayer, to be held on the evening after their 
return. The service was under the direction of Mr. Le- 
Grand. We resume the narrative : " I had the trial of 
being called upon to pray, in the presence of all my young 
acquaintances. My timidity, however, was in a manner 
gone. I now calculated fully on a revival in Lexington. 
Before the meeting I conversed privately with some of my 
associates, and found them favourably disposed. The news 
of our arrival, and of the spirit in which we had returned, 
spread rapidly through the country around. The next day 
the public service was at New Monmouth church. Mr. Le- 
Grand preached in the morning on Isaiah xlv. 22, 'Look 



AWAKENING IN LEXINGTON. 



67 



unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth/ After 
which Mr. Graham gave a narrative of all that he had seen 
and heard in Prince Edward and Bedford, and then addressed 
the great congregation in the most penetrating and pathetic 
manner, the tears meanwhile streaming from his eyes. The 
assembly was deeply and solemnly moved. Multitudes went 
weeping from the house. Another meeting was appointed 
for the evening, in the town, in a large room which had 
been used for dancing. Here the solemnity was greater, if 
possible, than at the church. Many remained to converse 
with the ministers, and a person of the most sedate habits 
and moral life cried out in an agony, 6 What must I do to 
be (Saved ! ' Every thing went on prosperously, and I was in 
expectation that all, or nearly all, the people would be 
awakened. Several of my companions, educated young men, 
came forward and professed their determination to be on the 
Lord's side. I had not heard a whisper of opposition, but 
next morning my uncle, Andrew Eeid, who had not been at 
any of the meetings, brought to our house a volume of 
Locke's Essay, with the page turned down at the chapter on 
Enthusiasm. My sister, to whom he spoke with some 
severity, was surprised and confounded, and grew faint with 
agitation, so that she was constrained to go to her couch. 
It struck me as amazing that any man of sense could think 
us in danger of enthusiasm. We soon found that there 
were many enemies of our proceedings, and that some of the 
young men ridiculed the whole affair. But the work went 
on, and we were gratified to find that cases of awakening 
occurred at almost every meeting, and the religious concern 



68 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



continued to diffuse itself through the country. These were 
halcyon days for the church ; and as for myself, though I 
did not regard myself as converted, I was so occupied with 
the cases of others, and with the opposition, that for a while 
I almost forgot my own case. 

" Mr. LeG-rand remained with us a week or two. His 
natural disposition was very uneven. He was either exceed- 
ingly lively, or in an awful gloom, in which he continually 
expressed a desire to die. At the time of his awakening, 
in Cumberland, he lay, I have been told, for hours in con- 
vulsions, produced by convictions, which were followed, it is 
thought, by believing views of the Saviour. Great success 
attended his earliest labours. His countenance, though 
youthful, was marked with sadness, and his voice had a 
mellowness and tenderness which I have never heard sur- 
passed. 

" Being much dissatisfied with my state of mind, and 
now sensible of the corruption of my heart, I resolved to 
enter on a new course, and determined to give up all read- 
ing except the Bible, and to devote myself entirely to prayer, 
fasting, and the Scriptures, until I should arrive at greater 
hope. My life was spent almost entirely in religious com- 
pany, but our conversation often degenerated into levity, 
which was succeeded by compunction. Telling over our 
private exercises was carried to an undue length, and in- 
stead of tending to edification, was often injurious. But 
reserve on this subject was considered a bad sign ; and on 
meeting, the first inquiry after salutation was concerning the 
state of each other's souls. 



RELAPSE INTO DOUBT. 



69 



" A young woman of my acquaintance, who, with others, 
had gone over to Bedford, appeared more solemnly impressed 
than most of the company. All believed that if any one 
had experienced divine renewal, it was Mary Hanna. One 
afternoon, while reading a sermon of Tennent's, on the need 
of a legal work preparatory to conversion, she was seized 
with such apprehensions of her danger, that she began to 
tremble, and in attempting to reach the house, which was 
distant only a few steps, fell prostrate, and was taken up 
in a state of terrible convulsion. The news quickly spread, 
and in a short time most of the serious young people 
in the town were present. I mention this for the purpose 
of adding that I was at once struck with the conviction that 
I had received an irreparable injury from the clergyman 
who had persuaded me that no such conviction as this was 
necessary. I determined, therefore, to admit no hope until 
I should have the like experience. I read all the religious 
narratives I could procure, and laboured much to put myself 
into the state in which they described themselves to have 
been, before enjoying hope. But all these efforts and desires 
proved abortive, and I began to see much more of the wick- 
edness of my own heart than ever before. I was distressed 
and discouraged, and convinced that I had placed too much 
dependence on mere means, and on my own efforts. I 
therefore determined to give myself incessantly to prayer 
until I found mercy, or perished in the pursuit. 

" This resolution was formed on a Sunday evening. The. 
next morning I took my Bible and walked several miles into 
the dense wood of the Bushy Hills, which were then wholly 



70 



EXTRAORDINARY JOYS. 



uncultivated. Finding a place that pleased me, at the foot 
of a projecting rock, in a dark valley, I began with great 
earnestness the course which I had prescribed to myself. 
I prayed, and then read in the Bible, prayed and read, 
prayed and read, until my strength was exhausted ; for I 
had taken no nourishment that day. But the more I strove 
the harder my heart became, and the more barren was my 
mind of every serious or tender feeling. I tasted then some 
of the bitterness of despair. It seemed to be my last re- 
source, and now this had utterly failed. I was about to desist 
from the endeavour, when the thought occurred to me, that 
though I was helpless, and my case was nearly desperate, 
yet it would be well to cry to God to help me in this 
extremity. I knelt upon the ground, and had poured out 
perhaps a single petition, or rather broken cry for help, when, 
in a moment, I had such a view of a crucified Saviour, as is 
without a parallel in my experience. The whole plan of 
grace appeared as clear as day. I was persuaded that God 
was willing to accept me, just as I was, and convinced that 
I had never before understood the freeness of salvation, but 
had always been striving to bring some price in my hand, or 
to prepare myself for receiving Christ. Now I discovered 
that I could receive him in all his offices at that very mo- 
ment, which I was sure at the time I did. I felt truly a 
joy which was unspeakable and full of glory. How long 
this delightful frame continued I cannot tell. But when my 
affections had a little subsided I opened my Bible, and 
alighted on the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of John. 
The sacred page appeared to be illuminated ; the truths 



FIRST COMMUNION. 



71 



were new, as if I had never read them before ; and I thought 
it would be always thus. Having often thought of engaging 
in a written covenant with God, but having never before 
found a freedom to do so, I now felt no hesitation, and 
having writing materials in my ^ pocket, I sat down and 
penned it exactly from my feelings, and solemnly signed it 
as in the presence of God.* 

" I expected now to feel uniformly different from what 
had preceded, and to be always in lively emotion, thinking 
my troubles all at an end. As I had been much distressed 
by discovering the sins of my heart, and as I read in Scrip- 
ture that faith works purification, I resolved to make this 
the test. At the time, indeed, I had no doubt as to the sin- 
cerity of my faith ; and in the paper of self-dedication 
above-mentioned I expressed the assurance that if I had 
never before received Christ I did then and there receive 
him. For several days my mind was serene. But before a 
week had elapsed, darkness began to gather over me again. 
Inbred corruption began to stir. In a word, I fell back into 
the same state of darkness and conflict as before." 

Shortly after this, in the autumn of 1789, he made a 
profession of his faith. But he describes his first approach 
to the Lord's Table as destitute of high comforts. His 
thoughts were much distracted, and his soul was harassed 
with awful fear lest he should eat and drink damnation to 
himself. And after receiving, this dreadful suspicion haunted 
him, until he felt convinced that this enormous sin had been 



* This document is in our possession, 



72 



ESTIMATE OF EXPERIENCE. 



committed. But at his second communion, which was at 
Now Monmouth, he enjoyed a delightful day of clear 
assurance. "The semion by Mr. Graham/' says he in a 
very late record, "was on the text, i The Sun of Eight eous- 
ness shall arise/ etc. The preacher compared the beginnings 
of true religion in the soul to the rising of the sun ; some- 
times with a sudden and immediate clearness, sometimes 
under clouds, which are afterwards dispersed. As he went 
on, it occurred to me with great distinctness, that the Sun of 
Eighteousness began to rise on me, though under a cloud. 
When conversing with Mr. Mitchell in Bedford, I was 
relieved from despair by the persuasion that Christ was able 
to save even me. This shows how seldom believers can de- 
signate with exactness the time of their renewal. Now, at 
the age of seventy-seven, I am of opinion, that my regenera- 
tion took place while I resided at General Posey's, in the 
year 1788." 

It seemed proper to dwell at some length on the traits 
of this remarkable and extensive religious awakening, because 
it shows how familiar the subject of this memoir was with 
the good and the evil of such excitements ; especially as in a 
later period of his life, when he felt constrained to unite 
with other wise men in protesting against enthusiastic ex- 
cesses and false doctrine, he was frequently treated by 
opponents as a rigid book-divine, who had grown up in cold 
forms, without acquaintance with great outpourings of the 
Holy Spirit. How far this was from the true state of the 
facts, will have been sufficiently apparent in the preceding 
extracts. 



DOCTRINES OF THE REVIVAL. 



73 



It was a remarkable peculiarity of this great popular 
reformation, that amidst all its outbreaking enthusiasm and 
strange animal agitation, it was not carried forward by 
means of corrupt doctrine. Aberrations from the truth there 
doubtless were in the case of individuals, and even bodies of 
errorists broke away on one side and the other, especially in 
the West ; but all the preachers whom we have had occasion 
to name, were zealously attached to the sound Noncon- 
formist theology of the seventeenth century. Minor points 
were indeed brought into question among the active minds 
of inquirers, stimulated by greatly exalted feeling ; but the 
fundamentals of reformation truth were left undisturbed. 
Most of those in the Valley who professed their faith main- 
tained their constancy, but some who persevered most faith- 
fully were not the most prominent at the beginning. 
" Much conversation took place concerning the nature of 
faith, the necessity of legal conviction, and the question 
whether there was an operation on the soul itself prior to 
all spiritual views, or whether regeneration was effected by 
the introduction of truth to the mind. When we brought 
our various opinions to Mr. Graham for his decision, we 
found that his judgment was peculiar. He maintained that 
as conversion is the change of a rational agent, it must be a 
matter of conviction and choice ; and that it was absurd to 
suppose any physical operation on the soul itself to be neces- 
sary or even conceivable. This opinion therefore became 
prevalent. The opposite, supposed to be that of many called 
Hopkinsians, was that no change takes place in the views of 
the understanding, but such as arises from a change in the 



74 



DOCTRINAL QUESTIONS. 



feelings of the heart. But some of us were not satisfied 
with either of these explanations. We supposed that a soul 
dead in sin was incapable of spiritual views and feelings, 
until made partaker of spiritual life ; that this principle of 
life was imparted in regeneration ; so that the natural order 
of exercises was, that the quickened soul entertained new 
views, which were accompanied by new feelings in accordance 
with the truths presented to the mind. This opinion I then 
adopted and have always held. The Spirit operates on the 
dead soul, communicating the principle of life. The Word 
holds up to the view of the regenerated soul the evil of sin 
which leads to repentance, and shows the excellency and 
suitableness of Christ as a Saviour in all his offices, and 
reveals the beauty of holiness. 

" Among other practical books, Marshall on Sanctification 
came into use, strongly recommended by some, as exhibit- 
ing the only true view of saving faith,, and as fitted at once 
to give peace to the troubled conscience. Some who had 
received little comfort in religion, seized on this notion of 
faith, persuaded themselves that their sins were pardoned 
and that Christ and all his benefits were theirs, and exulted 
for a time in the pleasing delusion. But they generally fell 
back into doubt and distress. The instances of persons pro- 
fessing a full assurance were few. Great caution was exer- 
cised, to guard against deception ; which perhaps led to 
undue nicety in the attempt to discriminate between the 
exercises of the believer and the hypocrite, and to a multi- 
plication of marks and evidences, some of which were not 
deduced from the Holy Scriptures. This caused perplexity 



RESULTS. 



75 



in the minds of many sincere persons, and detracted from the 
peace which they might have enjoyed. Nevertheless just 
views were generally entertained on this subject, and our 
pastor was lucid and discriminating as to the nature of true 
religion." 

" With many the impressions suddenly made vanished 
away by degrees, so that they became as careless as ever ; 
and some no doubt entered the communion of the Church 
who had not the root of the matter in them. But a large 
number continued to give evidence of the depth and reality 
of the work of grace in their hearts. Some of the most 
lively Christians were of the female sex." 

Of the period concerning which we have been writing 
there remain several little books, chiefly in cipher, containing 
a brief journal of the writer's private exercises. They begin 
when he was eighteen years of age, and extend with inter- 
ruptions for about six years. For several reasons we make 
no use of them ; partly because of their scantiness, partly 
because his mature judgment seems to have been adverse to 
such diaries, but chiefly because he has given elsewhere as 
much of these transactions between God and his soul, as he 
desired to be remembered. 

The records from which we make these extracts contain 
narratives of fearful apostasy, in a few remarkable instances ; 
full of interest and warning, but too extensive in their details 
to find a place in our pages. Some of these fatal results 
are attributed by the writer himself to the practice common 
in most revivals of dragging young and obscure persons into 
public view, and to the ill-judged stress laid on apparent 



76 



PRINCETON COLLEGE. 



gifts of fluent and acceptable prayer in seeming converts 
On this subject his views corresponded with those of Eobert 
Hall, who in reviewing his own juvenile experience in respect 
to this matter, writes as follows : " I never call the circum- 
stance to mind but with grief at the vanity it inspired ; 
nor, when I think of such mistakes of good men, am I in- 
clined to question the correctness of Baxter's language, 
strong as it is, where he says, c Nor should men turn preach- 
ers as the river Nilus breeds frogs (saith Herodotus), where 
one half moveth before the other is made, and while it is yet 
but plain mud ! ' "* 

Sixty years ago, when Archibald Alexander was strug- 
gling to acquire an education, there was no such provision of 
literary apparatus as in our day. Single volumes passed 
from house to house, as great treasures, and the youth was 
happy who could own any one of those works which now 
greet us with profusion. Our young student speaks of 
several authors who influenced his mind in this its forming 
state. First among these were such as met the demands of 
his troubled mind during early awakenings ; Owen, Baxter, 
Alleine, the Erskines, Willison, Doddridge, Whitefield, Je- 
nyns and Dickinson's Letters. 

At the instance of General Andrew Moore, young Alex- 
ander was induced to think of going to Princeton College, 
then under the presidentship of Dr. Witherspoon. To this 
plan his father was very favourable ; his clothes were packed 
up and actually forwarded a certain part of the way. A 



* Memoir of Robert Hall, Vol. I1L, p. 5. 



ILLNESS. 



77 



day or two before setting out, however, lie waited on Mr. 
Graham, from whom he desired to take letters. To his sur- 
prise Mr. Graham disapproved the whole scheme, and gave 
such a description of the inconveniences to which he would 
be subjected as an undergraduate, and the advantages of de- 
ferring this step until he should take degrees at Lexington, 
that he was persuaded to remain at home. Gen. Moore 
was chagrined, and the family of Mr. Eeid were much dis- 
pleased. It must be admitted that the difficulties suggested 
by Mr. Graham were imaginary. But Providence directs in 
all such conjunctures, and the very next day Mr. Alexander 
was seized with a fever, which held him many weeks in great 
suffering and danger. The physician who was called in, 
came to the bedside drunk. For a large part of the time 
the patient was in a raging delirium. At one stage of the 
disease he lay speechless, and the family was called to see 
him die. One morning, about daybreak, he heard the voice 
of a neighbour at the door,, inquiring, " Is he still alive ? " 
It was the preposterous custom of the country for every one 
to have access to the sick room, and one day when a sermon 
was preached in the house, half the congregation came in to 
see him, and some good but unwise men undertook to talk 
with him on religious subjects, while his mind was alienated. 
But it was God's purpose to spare him for usefulness. For 
several weeks he was lifted out of bed, as an infant. His 
constitution, which was vigorous before, received a shock, 
from which, as he supposed, it never fully recovered. He 
was seized with an excruciating sciatica, and suffered for 
months with a distressing cough ; so that during the whole 



78 



THE SWEET SPRINGS. 



winter and spring of 1790, he was in feeble and as it seemed 
declining health. 

The Sweet Springs had already become a place of fre- 
quent resort, and thither he was accompanied by his father in 
the ensuing summer. The scenes were new to him, and we 
would fain believe are such as no longer present themselves in 
that beautiful locality. " A company of gamblers never inter- 
mitted their games day or night, Sunday or workingday, dur- 
ing the whole time I was there. They relieved one another, 
and would sometimes come out to the fountain, adding not a 
little to the horrid symphony of oaths and imprecations which 
filled the air at these gatherings. They strove to outdo one 
another in the rapidity and novelty of their profane expres- 
sions. Some of these persons came every year, and had 
their log cabins to dwell in. Besides other invalids there 
were old broken-down debauchees, who were endeavouring to 
prop up a shattered and polluted constitution. There was 
an old Baptist by the name of Cox, from North Carolina, 
who had been here every season for a number of years. He 
was treated with a sort of respect by the profane, although 
they would throw out a jest at his sobriety ; to which he 
would reply, c Gentlemen, if there is no future state, your 
course may do, but if it should turn out that there is, I should 
fear to be in your place/ 93 He adds a painful account of 
a dying man, who though belonging to the convivial circle 
was abandoned by his comrades. " They would only come 
within twenty or thirty yards of the cabin, and ask how he 
did ; but I could hear their oaths as I sat beside him. I 
found on his table, Law's Serious Call, which I had never 



MOUNTAIN JOURNEY. 



79 



seen, and which I read through that night. Nothing ever 
more goaded my conscience ; yet I believe it did me little 
good, for I was in a despondent state/' 

During most of his sojourn he was in the family of Mr. 
Lewis, the proprietor of the Sweet Springs. Here he met 
with the Eev. Mr. McEoberts, of Prince Edward, whose name 
will appear again in our narrative. Mr. LeGrand also came 
to the Springs, and preached to the visitors. The sketches 
which follow are too characteristic to be omitted, especially 
as the memorials of this period are scanty. 

" My health was improving, and several weeks remained 
of the time allotted to my stay, but finding a man from 
Augusta returning with a led horse, I prevailed on him to 
convey me to Eockbridge, which would be only a few miles 
out of his way. We set out rather late and were unable to 
reach our lodging place before night ; and being near the 
banks of Jackson's Eiver we lost our way, and took a path 
which led us off from the main road directly across the hills 
towards the river. For a time our situation was not only 
painful but perilous, as the ravines which we descended 
were very deep. After wandering some time we saw a dis- 
tant light, and with some difficulty reached a cabin in the 
low grounds. We found two women in the house, one aged, 
and the other young, but the mother of several children, 
who were sleeping in the room which we entered, of course 
the only one in the house. There was an evident reluctance 
in these persons to comply with our request for lodging, the 
reason of which transpired in due time. The matron set to 
work, however, and provided a supper, which to our appetites 



80 



THE MOUNTAINS. 



appeared very good. Scarcely had we ended our repast 
when the man of the house came home in a state of intoxica- 
tion. He was very noisy before he came in, but when he 
found two strangers, he became outrageous and ordered us 
to depart. We expostulated, reminding him that the night 
was dark and that we could not possibly regain the high- 
road. The wife and mother joined their entreaties to ours, 
and he at length consented to furnish provender for our 
horses, and soon fell into a sound sleep. His wife spread a 
bed on the floor. 

" We rose early, on a lovely Sabbath morning ; my plan 
in setting out having been to reach the forks of Jackson's 
Eiver and the Cow Pasture, where I knew Mr. LeG-rand 
was to be. The man of the house arose early also, and with 
a marked change in his demeanour. He was deeply mortified 
at the inhospitality of the previous night, and sought in 
every way to make amends for it. Our way lay all the 
morning along the bank of the river, and in some places 
there was scarcely room for a bridle-path between the moun- 
tain and the channel. The ride was delightful and refresh- 
ing, and before reaching the junction of the Cow Pasture, 
we passed what I have always admired as a most picturesque 
spot ; I mean that where Jackson's Eiver makes its way 
through the high and steep mountain. The fissure is very 
narrow, and the sides abrupt, with piles of rock at the bottom. 
The two sides of the breach seem to correspond with each 
other, showing that there had once been a continuous ridge. 

" We arrived at Mr. Davidson's long before the hour of 
public worship. The people seldom heard a sermon ; being 



MR. LEGEAND. 81 

so strung along the narrow valleys, that they can never form 
self-supporting congregations, but must always depend on 
itinerants, or the transient visits of ministers from a distance. 
In such regions it is pleasing to see the ardour with which 
the mountain people flock to the place of meeting ; issuing 
from every hollow of the neighbouring hills, on horseback 
and on foot. When the young preacher arose, with his 
singular advantages of mien and voice, an unwonted air of 
solemnity and interest pervaded the assembly. Mr. Le- 
Grrand again preached much to my heart ; seldom have I 
spent a happier day. We had two sermons, with a short 
interval. When he met me at the edge of the dense forest 
whither he had retired for devotion, his face seemed like that 
of Moses to shine, and as we were on terms of great intimacy 
he said to me, ' If I ever enjoyed sensible communion with 
Grod, it was within the last half hour/ And his sermon bore 
witness that he had been with Jesus. These discourses 
were not in vain. The seeds of piety were sown in many 
young hearts that day. Several members of Mr. Davidson's 
family dated their serious impressions from that day. I re- 
luctantly parted with Mr. LeG-rand in the morning, as my 
travelling companion was becoming impatient to be on his 
way. My leaving the Springs at this time was imprudent ; 
as I now believe that if I had remained, my health would 
have been entirely restored. As it was, though much re- 
cruited by the use of the waters, I soon fell back into a state 
of debility." 

6 



CHAPTEE FIFTH. 



1790—1791. 

PREPARATIONS FOR THE MINISTRY — THEOLOGICAL CLASS — FIRST ATTEMPT AT 
EXHORTATION — VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA — GENERAL ASSEMBLY — GREAT 
MEN OF THE DAY — RETURN. 

THE time had arrived when it was natural and almost 
necessary for Mr. Alexander to choose a profession for 
life. The subject had been forced upon his mind during all 
the months of his religious inquiry. At the Sweet Springs 
he conversed freely on this point with Mr. LeGrrand. The 
ministry of the gospel was clearly his choice, but he con- 
ceived himself altogether unfit for a work of such impor- 
tance. Mr. Legrand however urged him to engage at once 
in the study of divinity. After the disappointment experi 
enced in regard to Princeton, he privately read from time to 
time such books as he could procure, and so far as his health 
permitted. " I doubted my call/' says he, " to this high 
and holy office. The only other pursuit which entered my 
thoughts was that of agriculture ; and I pleased myself with 
the thought of retirement and escape from the awful re- 
sponsibilities of the ministry. I still however went on with 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 



83 



my studies. While before I had been reading at random 
every good book I could lay hold of, I now thought it neces- 
sary to commence the study of theology with more method. 
I expected to be put to reading many ponderous volumes in 
Latin, and endeavoured to brace my nerves for the effort. 
Accordingly I went to Mr. Graham with a request that he 
would direct my studies. He smiled, and said, ' If you mean 
ever to be a theologian, you must come at it not by reading 
but by thinking/ He then ridiculed the way of taking our 
opinions upon the authority of men, and of deciding ques- 
tions by merely citing the judgments of this or that great 
theologian ; repeating what he had just said, that I must 
learn to think for myself, and form my own opinions from 
the Bible. This conversation discouraged me more than if 
he had told me to read half a dozen folios. For as to learning 
any thing by my own thoughts, I had no idea of its practi- 
cability. But it did me more good than any directions or 
counsels I ever received. It threw me on my own resources, 
and led me to feel the necessity of disciplining my own 
thoughts and searching into the principles of things. 

"My thoughts were entirely absorbed in theological ques- 
tions, and as there were several young men of education in 
Lexington, we carried on daily discussions. Taking nothing 
for granted without proof, we debated especially all the 
points in controversy between Oalvinists and Arminians. 
The Methodists who professed Arminian doctrine were 
spreading their opinions on all sides. When I first began the 
study of theology I had no companion but John Lyle, who 
had been for some time a pupil of Mr. Graham ; but after a 



84 



PRESBYTERY. 



while we had half a dozen. Every Saturday we met at oui 
preceptor's study, for recitation and debate. Even at this 
time Mr. Graham was much engaged in the study of Mental 
Philosophy. He had a natural turn for such investigations, 
and had observed for himself with great acuteness. He had 
recently obtained the works of Eeid and Beattie, with others 
of the Scottish school ; but he thought he could construct a 
better system than any proposed by these writers. Accord- 
ingly he digested a series of lectures, which he frequently 
delivered to his students and to a class of young ladies. 
They were perspicuous and methodical and rested on obser- 
vations made by himself. I believe they were never written 
out, for he had a strong aversion to the pen, and in speaking 
he had such a command of his knowledge as to require no 
assistance from notes. During the time of my theological 
studies I perused no great number of volumes, but some I 
read with much care. Among these were Edwards on the 
Will, on Original Sin, and on the Affections ; Bates's Har- 
mony of the Divine Attributes, and some treatises of Owen 
and Boston." 

In the autumn of the same year, 1790, the Presbytery 
of Lexington was to meet at the North Mountain Meeting- 
House, in the county of Augusta. This church is now 
called Hebron. Mr. Alexander was prevailed upon by his 
friends and teachers to present himself to that body in order 
to trials for the ministry. He describes his feelings on this 
occasion as very uncomfortable, from remaining doubts as to 
his being called to the work ; but he was averse to disregard 
the advice of his honoured preceptor, who had acquired an 



FIEST EXHORTATION. 



85 



influence over him which he could hardly resist. The 
Presbytery perceived his gifts, and encouraged him to pro- 
ceed. It appears from their records that this event took 
place on the 20th day of October, 1790. Mr. Graham had 
resolved to get the permission of the Presbytery that the can- 
didates under their care should have the privilege of exhort- 
ing in social meetings for religious worship ; for in that day 
the function of public teaching had not been distributed so 
lavishly among the lay brethren, as in our own time. And 
to quiet the scruples of Mr. Alexander, he was informed that 
his actual entrance on the ministry might be postponed as 
long as he chose. On returning home from the Presbytery, 
he soon received notice that authority had been given to 
him and his fellow-student, Mr. John Lyle, to exercise their 
gifts in exhortation. Mr. Graham was accustomed to hold 
a meeting at Kerr's Creek, at the house of old John McKee. 
This place was therefore selected for the debut of the young 
candidates. But the event is too interesting not to be 
related in his own words. It is seldom that we have such 
descriptions of a first effort from one who was destined to 
become eminent in this very field of labour. 

" The thing was new in that part of the country, and 
many came together. I was exceedingly apprehensive that I 
should utterly fail, and not be able to say any thing, for 1 
had never spoken in public except what I had committed to 
memory, I had once attempted to speak in a juvenile de- 
bate, without the least success. We arrived at the place 
early in the evening, and retired to the grove. "When we 
returned to the house Mr. Lyle appeared to be much ani- 



86 



EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING. 



mated and elevated. He told me that he had a remarkable 
flow of thought, and seemed confident of a prosperous issue ; 
which only discouraged me the more, as I was weighed down 
with a heavy burden. After singing and prayer, Mr. Graham 
called first upon Lyle, who arose with an awful cloud upon 
his brow, seized fast hold of the chair upon which he had 
been sitting, and with many contortions of countenance 
forced out a few words ; but his flow of thought had deserted 
him. He hemmed and groaned, rolled up his pocket-hand- 
kerchief into a ball, made a few convulsive gestures, and sat 
down. After another prayer and hymn, I was called upon. 
Although I did not know a single word which I was to utter, 
I began with a rapidity and fluency equal to any I have en- 
joyed to this day, I was astonished at myself, and as I was 
young and small, the old people were not less astonished. 
From this time I exhorted at one place and another, several 
times every week. It was still a cross for me to hold forth 
at Lexington ; and after efforts unsatisfactory to myself, I 
often suffered keen anguish of spirit, from various causes. 
At other times my heart was enlarged, my feelings were 
lively, so that I found delight in the utterance of truth. 
At that time I seldom followed any premeditated train of 
thought ; the words which I first spoke generally opened a 
track for me, which I pursued." 

It is a proper addition to this statement to say that, 
throughout his life, the extemporaneous discourses of Dr. 
Alexander, which indeed were the highest effusions of his 
mind, partook of the character of these early efforts ; and he 
lias been heard to say again and again, that if he were to 



MISSION, 



87 



stake his life on a single effort, he would, if familiar with 
the general subject, abandon himself entirely to the impulse 
of the moment. 

During the continuance of the revival, Mr. Graham was 
much engaged in preaching, not only at home, but in many 
other congregations, for there was an awakened attention to 
religion almost throughout the Valley ; and in the remote 
and destitute places there was an uncommon desire to heai 
the Gospel. He therefore made some preaching tours among 
the mountains, and along the streams, where the population 
is too much extended through narrow vales to admit of com- 
pact societies. On one of these excursions he was accompa- 
nied by his young pupil. They crossed the North Mountain 
at what is called the New Gap, where the ascent is exceed- 
ingly steep. After leaving the mountain they fell down 
upon the James Eiver near the place where it takes that 
name, that is, just below the junction of the Jackson and 
Cow pasture Eivers. Mr. Graham preached to these scattered 
people with a clearness which made all understand, and with 
an earnestness and affection which caused deep feeling. One 
of their meetings was at the house of a rich old German. 
" In the morning/' says a narrative from which we derive 
these facts, u Mr. John Lyle, my fellow-student and travel- 
ling companion, informed me that before sunrise he had seen 
a labourer take the German Bible from the house into a 
neighbouring thicket, where he kept it about half an hour 
and then went to his work. We agreed to have some con- 
versation with the man, and learned from him that he lived 
at a distance, but that he was now engaged for a time m 



THE GERMAN CONVERT. 



attending to some hemp, in a piece of land allowed him by the 
farmer. We found that he had not been present at the 
sermon the day before. He gave us the following narrative. 
i I have lived, ever since I was married, on the Cow pasture 
Biver, where the Gospel is seldom preached. For a few 
months we engaged a man to preach, and poor and careless 
as we were, I subscribed a dollar, and then thought I would 
go and get the worth of my money. I frequently felt my 
conscience moved, but the impression soon went off. Soon 
after the preacher left us, I was one day riding by myself, 
when all at once I had such a view of my lost condition and 
sinfulness, that I felt as if the earth would open and swallow 
me up. Though the awful feeling of that moment subsided, 
I fell into a state of settled distress. I knew that I was a 
sinner, but knew not how my sins could be pardoned. I was 
advised to read the Bible, which I did ; but the more I read, 
the more was I condemned, and my distress was thereby in- 
creased, so that for a while I shut up the book and put it 
away. Yet I could not find rest, and so returned to reading. 
My neighbours were of various opinions respecting my case. 
Some were of opinion that my reason was touched, others 
said it was low spirits. 

" c My distress of mind began to wear me away, until at 
last I was unable to work in the field, and my wife and 
children were likely to come to want. At length I scarcely 
had strength to walk the floor. One Sunday evening a little 
before sunset I was sitting on the side of my bed, where I 
had been reading my Bible, when all of a sudden my mind 
seemed to be full of light and my heart of love and joy. I 



THE GERMAN CONVERT, 



89 



thought that Christ had died for my sins, and that God had 
forgiven me for his sake. It was so plain, I wondered that 
I had never seen it before. The joy was so great that I sank 
down on the bed, and almost swooned. My wife shrieked, 
thinking I was about to die. But T was soon able to tell 
her that I was happy — as happy as I could be — that I had 
seen Christ to have died for me on the cross, and that God 
had pardoned all my sins. In this happy state I remained 
for some time ; but by degrees I began to believe that it was 
a delusion. Darkness came over me and my distress re- 
turned ; but not as at first, for I now knew that whether I 
had received it or not there was pardon for miserable sinners. 
But for several years I have had no comfort. I read and 
pray, and sometimes have a faint hope, but for the most part 
am in darkness. It is now nine years since I had this won- 
derful discovery, and during all that time I have never heard 
a sermon, nor ever before met with a single person who un- 
derstood my case/ 

" When the poor German had proceeded thus far, we 
had reached the place of meeting, and found the house full. 
We were very solicitous that Mr. Graham might be led 
to choose a subject suited to the case of our German brother, 
for such we esteemed him. And it was so ordered that the 
text led him to open the way of salvation, and to describe 
the exercises of a soul when closing with Christ on the 
terms of the Gospel. That day we heard more for the af- 
flicted man than for ourselves. He never took his eyes off 
the preacher, and during the hour of the sermon they were 
full of tears. His emotions were evidently various. We 



90 



MR. GRAHAM'S PREACHING. 



were incapable of entering into the feelings of a man wh« 
had been converted for nine years, and yet had never heard 
a sermon, and who for seven years had been walking in dark- 
ness and doubt, without once meeting with man or woman 
who knew any thing of experimental religion. As he had 
to return immediately, we followed him to his horse as he 
came weeping from the house. His heart was too full for 
utterance. At length he lifted up his hands, and thanked 
God for the mercy bestowed on him, in giving him opportu- 
nity to hear the precious Gospel that day. He said that his 
distress had forsaken him, and something of his first joy 
filled his heart, but that he had much sorrow for sin mingled 
with his comfort. He took leave of us with tears, tenderly 
thanking us for having procured him this inestimable privi- 
lege. 

" Mr. Graham's preaching for fifteen years had been at- 
tended with so little apparent effect, that it is not easy to 
conceive of the joy with which he witnessed so great a 
change in the religious aspect of the community. For some 
time he devoted himself entirely to the work of the ministry. 
His preaching at this time was evangelical and powerful, 
The writer is now of opinion, that he never heard from any 
man a clearer and stronger exhibition of the Gospel than in 
the sermons of Mr. Graham during this period."* 

An event of more than ordinary moment in the quiet 
career of a student in the mountains, was his making a visit 
in the spring of 1791 to Philadelphia. In his mature years 



* MS. Life of William Graham. 



YOUNG RULING ELDER. 



91 



he was accustomed to speak with regret and reprehension of 
one part of the counsel of his invaluable friend and preceptor. 
The General Assembly was about to convene, and Mr. Gra- 
ham, desiring his young and promising pupil to attend on 
that judicatory, conceived the strange design that he should 
go in the capacity of a ruling elder. He was little satisfied 
with the arrangement, but acquiesced. 

These were days of equestrian travel, and they set out 
as for a long journey. An agreement had been made to 
meet Dr. John B. Smith at "Winchester, and to attend the 
communion at Shepherdstown, where Mr., afterwards the 
Kev. Dr. Moses Hoge was pastor. Mr. Alexander rode a 
young horse, unaccustomed to travelling, which was found- 
ered about the third day. They stopped with Mr. Solomon 
Hoge, brother of the clergyman, with whom resided his ven- 
erable father. Mr. Graham, after as much delay as he 
could afford, resumed his journey. The horse did not 
amend, and this caused a halt of some days. 

" Old Mr. Hoge/' so he writes, " though eighty-four 
years of age, was in the fullest vigour of intellect, and de- 
lighted in theological discussion. He gave me a narrative 
of the state of the Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania 
during his youth. At the age of one and twenty he care- 
fully read over every article of the Westminster Confession 
of Faith, to see whether he could adopt the whole ; which 
he was able freely and deliberately to do. At the time 
when I met him he was in connection with the Seceder 
Church. He did not inform me how this came about, but 
some years afterwards Dr. Hoge told me that his father left 



92 JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 

our church on account of the f Adopting Act/ which per- 
mitted candidates to make some exceptions when they re- 
ceived the Confession. I know not that I ever received so 
much instruction in the same time from any one as from 
this old gentleman. Certain difficulties, which I had on 
some points, he entirely removed to my satisfaction. What 
he told me of the mother Presbytery, of Philadelphia, would 
have been of value if I had written it down from his mouth, 
but before I recognised its importance, the facts had become 
dim in my memory/' 

Mounting his crippled horse, he attempted to press for- 
ward, but before reaching Winchester he found him unable 
to proceed. Here occurred an incident of travel, which be- 
loDgs to the picture of life. " After struggling along a few 
miles, I came to Opekan Creek, where the low grounds 
were covered to the depth of two or three feet by reason of 
back-water from a mill below. When I had reached about 
midway, the horse determinately refused to proceed, and 
there I was, seated on his back in the midst of the water. 
There was no way left but to dismount into the water, but 
this I was afraid to do on account of my feeble health. Ob- 
serving a house at some distance I called as loudly as I 
could, and at length made myself heard. A large, lazy look- 
ing German came down and asked why I was sitting there, 
I told him, and entreated him to get a horse and bring me 
out, but he said there were no horses near. The want of 
sympathy in this man aggravated my distress. At length 
a man came along on horseback who immediately led my 
horse out ; and not only so, but continued with me until 



JOURNEY. 



93 



nine o'clock at night, when I arrived at the place to which 
I had been directed. 

" I found old Mrs. Kiley alone ; all her sons had gone tc 
the sacrament at Shepherdstown, where Dr. Smith and Mr. 
Graham were assisting Mr. Hoge. The next morning, 
which was the Sabbath, I went into the neighbourhood to 
hear a Methodist preacher. At the close of his sermon he 
gave notice that a Presbyterian minister would preach at 
Mrs. Riley's that evening. At first I wondered who it could 
be that had come into the place, but it soon occurred to me, 
that it arose from a misapprehension of something I had 
said to Mrs. Kiley. The mistake disturbed me not a little. 
I went to the stand on which he had preached — for the ser- 
mon was in the open air — and begged him to correct the 
mistake, but he made light of the difference between a 
preacher and an exhorter. In the evening a multitude col- 
lected, so that the house could not contain them. When I 
arose to speak I explained the matter, and then delivered an 
exhortation of some length, as the people seemed greedy to 
hear. Indeed there was a considerable excitement among 
them, which had been produced by the preaching of Mr. 
Hill and also of the clergymen with whom I was travelling." 

Provided here with a fresh horse, he set out and pressed 
on with all his force to overtake these companions. The 
next day he arrived at a neighbourhood where Dr. Smith 
had just been preaching, and the evening after arrived at 
the house where he was lodging. Dr. Smith's cordiality and 
courtesy here appeared to great advantage, and he had it in 
his power to communicate great relief to the young and em- 



94 



PHILADELPHIA, 



barrassed stranger. The company went onward by the way 
of York, and at length reached the little town of Pequea, 
a spot somewhat remarkable in the history of our church. 
Here the venerable Doctor Robert Smith, the father of 
the President, was still pastor. Here likewise the sacra- 
ment was to be celebrated on the approaching Sabbath. 
The congregation was large, but without those signs of popu- 
lar feeling to which our Virginians had been accustomed at 
home. On Monday, in conformity to the old Scottish prac- 
tice, Mr. Graham discoursed ; his sermon was powerful and 
pungent, and a certain young man was struck to the heart, 
and came to the house inquiring what he should do to be 
saved. On Tuesday the four travellers set their faces towards 
Philadelphia, and their number was increased by old Dr. 
Smith and his wife. We shall here annex copious extracts 
from the personal narrative, both as giving a simple descrip- 
tion of the impressions made by novel scenes on an un- 
sophisticated mind, and as affording more particulars than 
are elsewhere extant concerning a very important General 
Assembly. 

" I felt a great awe on my spirits at the thought of 
entering the great city. My impression was that all eyes 
would be directed towards me. As we approached, our com- 
pany separated, as they expected to lodge in different places. 
Mr. Graham and I stopped at a farm-house near Gray's 
Ferry, where we made an agreement with the host, a quaker, 
for the keeping of our horses. As we rode along the streets 
and beheld the people pressing forward with rapid steps, I 
was surprised and relieved to find that they took no notice 



ASSEMBLY OF 1791. 



95 



of us. The tavern where we dismounted was, I think, in 
Chestnut Street. Here we found a hale corpulent man of 
forty, bouncing about and attending to his guests with little 
aid. The floors were not carpeted, but were scoured very 
clean, and thickly sprinkled with very white sand. 

" After adjusting our dress, we repaired to the church at 
the corner of Third and Arch Streets, where the Assembly 
was to be opened by a sermon from the Eeverend Robert 
Smith, D.D., the late moderator. I went under a painful 
apprehension that the appearance of such a youth, under 
the denomination of a ruling elder, must excite the contempt 
or pity of every member. Indeed it was an ill-judged thing. 
What struck me with astonishment was that although thou- 
sands of people were passing the doors, there were not a 
hundred in the church. Dr. Smith preached a sermon of 
which I heard very little, as his enunciation was impaired by 
the loss of his teeth. He wore a verv large white wig, 

t, © ©7 

coming down far over his shoulders, and being short in 
stature presented an appearance somewhat grotesque. Most 
of the clergy wore wigs : all from the cities and great towns 
wore powder, as did many gentlemen whom we met in the 
streets. The discourse was delivered with great earnestness, 
and the opinion which I formed of the preacher was that he 
possessed uncommon ardour of piety. He said much of the 
great revival in which he had been a labourer, but seemed 
much afraid of the wildfire and disorder, which so much in- 
jured the cause in those days. In private he expressed 
apprehensions lest his son John Blair Smith and Mr. Gra- 
ham were engaged in sending raw and unfurnished ministers 



96 



EMINENT MEN, 



into the work. He treated me with great tenderness, but 
was surprised to hear that I was to be a member, and asked 
whether I came as priest or Levite. The excellent old man 
lived but a year or two after this time. 

" Some interest seemed to be felt as to the choice of 
Moderator. The Eev. Dr. John Woodhull, of Freehold, 
N. J., was nominated, but Mr. John B. Smith came round 
to us, and solicited our votes for Mr. McCreary, an old 
minister from Maryland or Delaware, who was said to be a 
godly and evangelical man ; but Mr. Woodhull had a large 
majority. The body was small, consisting of not more than 
thirty or forty members. The leading ministers were Dr. 
Alison of Baltimore, Dr. McWhorter of Newark, Dr. Ewing 
of Philadelphia, Nathaniel Irwin of Neshaminy, James F. 
Armstrong of Trenton, Joseph Clark of New Brunswick, 
Dr. Cooper, Dr. Latta, and Nathan and Jacob Ker. Dr. 
Nisbet was in constant attendance, but I have forgotten 
whether he was a commissioner. But all Presbyterian 
ministers were invited to sit as correspondent members. 
President Witherspoon came about the middle of the ses- 
sion, and after a day or two gave place to Dr. Samuel Stan- 
hope Smith. There were few from the south, besides om 
little company. I remember one by the name of Templeton. 
Colonel J ohn Bayard, father of J ohn, Samuel, and J ames A. 
Bayard, was there as an elder, and took an active part in all 
business, receiving much deference, as he had occupied high 
civil offices. Dr. Green was not a member, but came every 
day and sometimes engaged in discussion. At that time he 
must have been above thirty years of age ; his appearance 



DR. WOODHULL DR. NISBET, 



97 



was dignified and lofty, and except that he was pale he was 
at a distance a very handsome man. His peruke was the 
finest I ever saw, falling over his shoulders in great curls, which 
were white with powder. I was filled with admiration to 
hear so fine a man talk seriously about religion ; for I had 
imbibed the prejudice widely prevalent among the Metho- 
dists, that men or women who dressed fashionably and wore 
powder and the like ornaments, must be destitute of reli- 
gion. 

" Dr. WoodhuU the Moderator was a man of good ap- 
pearance, about forty-five years of age. If I remember 
aright, William M. Tennent, afterwards Dr. Tennent of 
Abingdon, was the recording clerk, and Mr. Armstrong the 
reading clerk. The member who took most upon him ? ex- 
plaining every thing minutely and tediously, was Dr. 
McWhorter of Newark. But though unnecessarily prolix 
his remarks were always earnest and judicious. Dr. Nisbet 
seemed desirous to learn all that was said ; being somewhat 
deaf he would go up close to the speaker and turn to him 
the hearing ear. His appearance was singular. He was 
short in stature, but broad in the face and shoulders and 
whole frame, and wore a gray wig which reached far down 
his back. He took much snuff and seemed to have the 
habit of talking to himself, for his lips were in frequent mo- 
tion, and as he sometimes trotted from one speaker to 
another he would utter something audibly. On one of these 
occasions as Dr. Hall of North Carolina was making an 
earnest speech, with great solemnity of manner, Dr. Nisbet 
as he returned to his seat near the Moderator was heard tc 
1 



98 



DR. WITHERSPOON. 



ejaculate, ' Poor human nature, poor human nature ! ' Some 
one was officious enough to tell this to Dr. Hall, who was 
grievously mortified and offended. Nathaniel Irwin of 
Neshaminy was an influential member of this Assembly. 
He was very tall, and had a voice the sound of which pro- 
duced alarm, on a first hearing. He always took his stand 
at a place the most remote from the chair, and seemed to 
utter every thing with the greatest sound he could command. 
It was easy to discern that as his head was literally long, so 
it was intellectually. The very first draft of a plan for 
raising a permanent * * * proceeded from him during 
this Assembly. Joseph Clark of New Brunswick, after- 
wards Dr. Clark, was a speaker who occupied much time, 
from the extreme slowness of his observations. 

" About the middle of the Assembly Dr. Witherspoon 
came from Princeton, and took his seat. He immediately 
participated in the business, and evinced such an intuitive 
clearness of apprehension and correctness of judgment, that 
his pointed remarks commonly put an end to the discussion. 
In most cases I thought I perceived how things should be 
decided, and was gratified to find my opinions frequently 
confirmed by those of Dr. Witherspoon. But in one in- 
stance, in which John D. Blair of Kichmond took an active 
part, I was entirely misled. The question was whether an 
offending member's profession of repentance was a sufficient 
ground for immediate restoration. Mr. Blair read the pas- 
sage in which our Lord says, c If thy brother offend against 
thee seven times in a day/ etc. This seemed to me as cleaT 
as the light ; but Dr. Witherspoon arose and dispelled the 



DR. SMITH. 



99 



delusion, by distinguishing between a private offence, con- 
cerning an individual, and a public offence which affected the 
church, as also between the offence of a private member and 
the offence of a minister. 

" Dr. Witherspoon remained only two or three days, after 
which Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith took his place. When 
he entered the house I did not observe him, but happening 
to turn my head I saw a person whom I must still consider 
the most elegant I ever saw. The beauty of his counte- 
nance, the clear and vivid complexion, the symmetry of his 
form and the exquisite finish of his dress, were such as to 
strike the beholder at first sight. The thought never 
occurred to me that he was a clergyman, and I supposed 
him to be some gentleman of Philadelphia, who had dropped 
in to hear the debate. I ought to have mentioned that Dr. 
Witherspoon was as plain an old man as ever I saw, and as 
free from any assumption of dignity. All he said, and 
every thing about him bore the marks of importance and 
authority. Dr. Green had just returned from the General 
Association of Connecticut, w T hich he had attended as a 
delegate. He gave an account of his reception, and brought 
forward a resolution to agree with them in a concert of 
prayer for the revival of religion. This was opposed by Dr. 
Alison, in a speech of great power and eloquence. I never 
heard a man who could pour out such a torrent of strong 
thoughts and expressions, without the least appearance of 
effort ; for he made no attempt to play the orator, but com- 
monly leaned over the side of the pew and seldom raised 
either his head or his hands. Dr. Green made an able and 



100 



BUSINESS OF ASSEMBLY. 



pious speech in reply, in the course of which he mentioned 
that the only three men who opposed it in the General Asso- 
ciation were a Mr. Church, a Mr. Lord, and a Mr. Devotion. 
Dr. Smith was also opposed to it, and had caused it to be 
cast out in the Synod of New- York and New J ersey. But 
our Southern ministers, fresh from a great revival, were zeal- 
ously in favour of it, as were the members from the west of 
Pennsylvania, So that the resolution was carried by a large 
majority. 

" The only difficult and unpleasant cases, which came 
before the Assembly of 1791, were the following. A certain 
minister had been guilty of a great crime, which was not 
mentioned ; after a season of the deepest sorrow and full 
confession and profession of repentance, he was restored by 
the Presbytery of Newcastle by which he had been deposed. 
He soon afterwards removed up the North Eiver, carrying 
with him clear credentials. But after a while the report of 
the crime followed him ; the Presbytery within whose bounds 
he now was found the charge to be true, and brought a com- 
plaint against the Presbytery of Newcastle, for dismissing 
the member as in good standing, who had been thus guilty. 
There was much warmth among some of the old men about 
this matter. Dr. Cooper was not, I think, a regular member 
of the Assembly, but spoke as a correspondent. A severer 
countenance I never looked upon, and in debate- his words 
were sharp as a two-edged sword. He made a reply to a 
speech of Dr. Samuel S. Smith, which was very tart and 
cutting. The other case was a complaint of Newcastle 
Presbytery against that of Lewes, because the latter had 



DEPARTURE. 



101 



taken under their care and licensed a candidate while he was 
under censure of the former. 

" Our ministers were warm from a great revival, and for 
a year or two had been engaged in organizing a plan for send- 
ing out missionaries. Indeed the Synod of Virginia had at 
this time four or five young men in the field. These were 
Nash LeGrand, William Hill, Cary Allen, Eobert Marshall, 
and John Lyle. 

" While in Philadelphia I was frequently at the house of 
old Mrs. Hodge, the grandmother of Professor Hodge. Here 
John B. Smith and his family were entertained, and here I 
saw also the widow of President Finley of Princeton, who 
was at this time entirely blind. Dr. J. B. Smith remained 
in Philadelphia, as the Third Presbyterian Church (of which 
the writer was afterwards pastor) had given him a call, 
after the death of Dr. Duffield." 

It was now the month of June, and as the weather was 
extremely hot and the roads were dusty, the little party 
determined to lie by during the day and travel by night. 
They crossed the Blue Eidge at Black's Gap, by the light 
of the moon, which was then near the full. But after mid- 
night they began to feel sleepy, and having cleared the 
mountain sought for some lodging-place. Part of the com- 
pany found a house on the right ; Mr. Graham and his 
young companion went further, and turned into a farm- 
clearing on the left. It was a log house, and the family 
were asleep in bed. But in conformity with the hospitable 
customs of the land, the mountaineer arose and admitted 
them, and took charge of their horses. The guests were 



102 



SOMNAMBULISM. 



shown up stairs, or rather up a ladder, to a loft under the 
roof. Here they were made acquainted with the German 
fashion of sleeping under a bed, in lieu of other covering 
The next day Dr. Hall proposed to introduce them to a case 
of somnambulism or irregular mental action, which carried 
some appearance of the supernatural. The person was a 
young woman of the neighbourhood, who every day at a cer- 
tain hour seemed to fall into a trance, and uttered wonder- 
ful things. 

" We pushed hard," says the narrative, " to get to the 
house by the hour of her paroxysm, which was one o'clock. 
Her name was Susannah Orendorf, and she was the daughter 
of a farmer near Sharpsburg. The young woman was re- 
clining on a bed, very pale, and clad in white. She was 
attended by an elder sister, who with the parents agreed in 
asserting that she had eaten nothing for five or six months, 
and that the only thing which entered her lips was a sip of 
sweetened water, of which a tumbler stood near her on the 
table. This was considered miraculous by many, and the 
Methodists preached about Susannah, and related her sayings 
in their sermons. Multitudes came to see her ; some above 
a hundred miles ; so that there would sometimes be two 
hundred people there at one time. After coming out of one 
of her epileptic fits, she would tell those around her what 
she had seen in heaven ; and so credulous were some that 
they came to ask whether she had seen certain friends of 
theirs who had lately died. On this point, however, she could 
give no satisfactory information. Some wished to know 
which religious denomination was most approved in heaven. 



SLEEPING PREACHER. 



103 



The girl answered more discreetly than could have been ex- 
pected from her education — for she was very ignorant — say- 
ing, ' In the other world people are not judged of by their 
professions, but the sincerity of their hearts, and the good- 
ness of their conduct/ Some very noisy persons came from 
Newtown to see her ; and as a great company was collected 
they engaged in devotional exercises. One of their number, 
John Hill, a man of great muscular power and a stentorian 
voice, exerted himself to the utmost in prayer, keeping time 
with one of his feet and both his hands. When he was done, 
Susannah asked him, c Why do you speak so loud ? Do you 
think the Almighty is hard of hearing ? ' 

" At nearly the same hour every day, after a little con- 
vulsive agitation she seemed to fall into a swoon, ceased to 
breathe, and lay calm and motionless as a corpse. As she 
recovered herself a sound was heard, as if issuing from her 
breast, and she commonly awoke singing. We asked her 
for some account of what she had seen in her last visit. 
Without hesitation she began a narrative of her journey to 
heaven, which greatly resembled some of Mohammed's de- 
scriptions. She went over a very high and beautiful bridge, 
which appeared to be made of ivory. She entered paradise, 
where she beheld the angels flying about in all directions, 
and heard companies of them singing. On her arrival she 
was presented with bread as white as snow and exceedingly 
delicious, which she ate every day, and by which she was 
nourished, so as to have no need nor appetite for earthly 
food. The most remarkable occurrence was that a beautiful 
and majestic person, whom she took to be our Saviour, came 



104 



RETROSPECT. 



to her, arid gave her a white flower, which she took to be a 
token of his love. On being requested to sing one of the 
tunes which she had learnt in heaven, she complied without 
reluctance ; uttering in a soft and somewhat melodious voice 
a strain, which however consisted of only a few notes con- 
tinually repeated. Being then accustomed to learn tunes 
by ear, I caught up this strain, and could repeat it,, but 
have long since forgotten it. This was no doubt a case of 
epilepsy, which continued more than a year, and then 
gradually left her ; but she did not live long after her re- 
covery/' 

In looking back on this visit to the great city of 
America, Mr. Alexander was accustomed to say, that he 
found less of that warm and impulsive religion which the 
revivals of Virginia had made dear to him, than he expected. 
But he often recurred with pleasure to the animated piety 
of Joseph Eastburn, and of Mrs. Hodge, a venerable Christian 
lady of Philadelphia. 



CHAPTER SIXTH. 



1791. 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES — LICENSURE — EARLY SERMONS— CHAEAOTEE OF 

PREACHING ME. HOGE — LABOURS IN BERKELEY — ENGAGEMENT AS 

MISSIONARY. 

A T the period to which our narrative relates, the means 



-TX of education for the ministry were few and irregular. 
Mr. Alexander enjoyed, however, the guidance of Mr. Gra- 
ham, whom through life he continued to regard as the chief 
instrument employed by Providence in educing and disci- 
plining his faculties. " For a number of years/' he records, 
" candidates for the gospel ministry had been very few, so 
that there seemed no prospect of a supply to the churches, 
when the acting ministry should pass away. But now the 
scene was changed. A number of young men who had 
finished their academical course, were arrested in their 
career and brought under the influence of the truth. These 
were now disposed to devote themselves to the important 
business of preaching the gospel. This not only furnished to 
Mr. Graham a pleasing prospect as it relates to the Church, 
but opened a field of useful employment in preparing these 




106 



THEOLOGICAL CLASS. 



candidates for the ministry. It was a work for which in many 
respects he was well fitted, and in which he evidently toot 
much delight, especially when he had pupils who received 
instruction with docility and entered fully into his views and 
explanation of doctrines. For although he constantly incul- 
cated the right and duty of searching for the truth, free from 
the trammels of authority, he was never well pleased if any 
of them thought differently on any subject from himself 
A theological class was formed, whose reading he directed; 
and who attended at his study on one day of the week, 
where they read their compositions on prescribed subjects, 
and discussed subjects previously given out ; while he pre- 
sided, and in the conclusion gave his own views of the 
matter. By this kind of training a number of young men, 
who afterwards were well known and esteemed in the church, 
were prepared. Though Mr. Graham had a scientific turn, 
and delighted much in experimental philosophy, it was the 
philosophy of the mind which was his favourite study ; and 
this he had long pursued, not by reading books on the sub- 
ject, but by paying close attention to the exercises of his 
own mind. He had reduced his thoughts to a system, 
which he was fond of unfolding to his pupils ; so that he 
contracted a liking for this department of philosophy. His 
thorough knowledge of the laws of thinking evidently gave 
him a great advantage in explaining many difficulties which 
are frequently met with in religious experience. He was 
not much read in books, and for many years perused few, 
and commonly expressed a low esteem for what he read. 
There were few authors of whom he spoke with entire appro- 



mr. Graham's views. 



107 



bation. He continually recommended to his pupils to think 
for themselves, and to depend on their own resources rather 
than on authors. On some this had a good effect ; but it 
was a saying which all could not receive. In almost every 
case his students adopted his views of theology, and held 
them at least for a while with much confidence. On all 
points he was strictly Calvinistic ; but he had his own me- 
thod of explaining things. One of his radical principles was 
that the rational soul of man can undergo no moral change, 
except through the influence of motives, or the presentation 
through the understanding of such objects as excite the 
affections. He therefore scouted the opinion that in regen- 
eration there is any physical operation on the soul itself, and 
held that by the influence of the Holy Spirit truth is pre- 
sented in its true nature to the rational mind, and when 
thus perceived cannot but produce an effect correspondent 
with its nature. He therefore fully held what has been 
called in some places the 'Light -scheme'; believing that all 
moral changes must be produced by new views, and can be 
produced in no other way. But how the dead soul could 
have truth thus presented to it, without being first vivified, 
he did not explain. In effect, however, he held with those 
who believe that all moral acts and exercises are produced 
by the operation of the truth, justly apprehended, but that 
in order to this a regenerating influence must be sent forth 
to render the soul capable of such views of truth as will pro- 
duce these effects. 

" His views of justification by the imputed righteousness 
of Christ were very clear and sound ; but he considered faith 



108 



BOOKS. 



to be simply a belief of the truth, under a spiritual appre- 
hension of its nature. Nor would lie agree that any affec- 
tion or emotion which flowed from such belief properly 
belonged to its nature, as distinguished from other graces. 
His idea of the primitive state of man was, that though an 
accountable moral agent without any supernatural influence, 
he could be preserved from falling, when exposed to tempta- 
tion, only by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He there- 
fore thought it the easiest thing in the world to show how a 
human being, though perfectly holy, might be seduced into 
sin when left to himself. The divine influence, which was 
absolutely gratuitous, being withdrawn, man, though still 
possessing ability to perform his duty, is exceedingly liable 
to be led away, on account of natural imbecility, a compli- 
cated constitution,*' 1 ' and strong natural propensities. Ke- 
specting the whole mediatorial work, Mr. Graham was 
entirely sound ; and in his preaching the doctrines of grace 
were always prominent."f 

Books were scarce, and he mentions the inconvenience 
which it cost him to carry a quarto copy of Blair's Lectures, 
which his preceptor had bought in Philadelphia. This work 
he read with avidity, but he found that the rules were 
chiefly such as had already occurred to his own mind. He 
had perused Witherspoon's Lectures on Moral Philosophy, 
which he had transcribed from a manuscript, as the book 
was not yet published. He confesses that this subject, 
which afterwards occupied so much of his attention, did not 

* The manuscript is here doubtful. 

f MS. Life of the Rev. William Graham. 



STUDIES. 



10S 



then awaken any interest in him. The remainder of the 
summer was spent in vigorous study. There were now 
more than half a dozen divinity students, whose intercourse 
was fraternal and advantageous. He also exercised his gifts 
in religious meetings, generally with much ease and fluency ; 
but he records that when on some occasions he failed, his 
feelings of mortification were excruciating. It was however 
in such exercises as these that he laid the foundation for 
that habit of extraordinary extemporaneous discourse which 
was his grand peculiarity as a preacher and teacher, and 
which was in no degree abated after threescore years of 
ministry. 

Though his health was still unsettled, he found it neces- 
sary to devote himself with spirit to his theological pre- 
parations. Besides a compendium of Turrettine in Latin, 
he resorted to the Writings of Owen and Edwards ; and 
perused Bates's Harmony of the Divine Attributes, which 
was one of his favourite works as long as he lived. He con- 
versed almost daily with his preceptor, though the regular 
meeting of the young men in Mr. Graham's study was only 
once a week. As there was now a class in theology, and as other 
young men who had not completed their academical course, 
were pious and interested in such subjects, much time was 
spent in free conversation and animated discussion. " Among 
those of the latter class/"' says he, " who were still engaged 
in classical learning, was George Baxter, afterwards so high- 
ly distinguished as a preacher and a theologian. He had a 
mind formed for accurate distinctions and logical discussion." 
During the year, besides other compositions, he wrote seven 



110 



PRESBYTERIAL TRIALS. 



sermons, which were read before the class, and criticised by 
Mr. Graham. The first of these he preserved as a curiosity : 
it was on Acts xvi. 31, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ/' 
etc. At the meeting in the spring of 1791, held at New 
Monmouth, he exhibited several of his pieces of trial, and 
was examined on the sciences and languages. With the 
measure of Latin which he then had attained, his Exegesis, 
as it is oddly named, gave him no small trouble. His Criti- 
cal Exercise was on Heb. vi. 1-7 ; and this also vexed him 
considerably, as he spent much time on the subject without 
arriving at satisfaction. His Popular Lecture, or Homily as 
it was then called, was on the difference between a living j 
and a dead faith. " The essay," says he, " is I believe still 
among my old papers, and the view taken of the subject is 
not materially different from that which I should now take." ' 

These preparations gave him more than the usual amount 
of trouble, from the low condition of body in which he still i 
found himself. In September the Presbytery met at the 
Stone Mee ting-House in Augusta. He had at this time 
gone through all his trials, except the examination in the- 
ology and the " popular sermon/' He was however very 
reluctant to be licensed, on account of an abiding sense of 
unfitness. On this subject he had many conversations with 
Mr. Graham, in which he strongly and repeatedly stated his 
objections. But his pastor and teacher disregarded the 
scruples, and urged him to enter on the work of preaching, 
for this among other reasons that his health might be con- 
firmed by travelling ; adding that he might continue his 
studies as usual and make excursions among the destitute, • 



FIRST SERMON. 



Ill 



as he felt inclined. At this time his stature was small and 
his whole appearance was strikingly boyish. " The Presby- 
tery/' we use his own words, " had given me a text for a 
popular sermon which I disliked exceedingly, as it brought 
to my mind the circumstance which distressed me in the 
view of entering the ministry, namely my youth and boyish 
appearance. The text was J eremiah i. 7, 6 But the Lord 
said unto me, Say not, I am a child, for thou shalt go to all 
that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee 
thou shalt speak/ I read the sermon from the pulpit, but 
with very little satisfaction to myself. As the ministers 
were on their way to the Synod, they had not time to ex- 
amine me on theology, and so adjourned to meet at "Win- 
chester. When we arrived there a meeting was held in the 
house of James Holliday, where I was examined, principally 
by the Rev. J ohn Blair Smith ; but as he was taken sudden- 
ly ill before it was concluded, the examination was continued 
by Mr. Hoge. It was then determined that I should be 
licensed in the public congregation, on Saturday morning, 
October the first, 1791. This was indeed a solemn day. 
During the service I was almost overwhelmed with an awful 
feeling of responsibility and unfitness for the sacred office. 
That afternoon I spent in the fields, in very solemn reflec- 
tion and earnest prayer. My feelings were awful, and far 
from being comfortable. I seemed to think, however, that 
the solemn impressions of that day would never leave me. 
deceitful heart ! " 

In regard to the text abovementioned, it is said in 
another manuscript ; "It was assigned to me by the Rev. 



112 



ENTRANCE ON MINISTRY. 



Samuel Houston, not only because of my youth, but because 
I had strongly remonstrated against having my trials hurried 
to a conclusion, as I did not wish to be licensed for several 
years. The house was full of people, and the whole Synod 
was present. When I stood up to answer the questions/' 
which were proposed by Dr. Smith, though only a corres- 
ponding member, " I felt as if I could have sunk into the 
earth/' The sermon mentioned above was most happily re- 
covered by us, among the papers of the late Mrs. LeG-rand. 
It bears marks of careful preparation, though written in a 
hand as yet quite unformed. Notwithstanding the sugges- 
tion of the text, there is a characteristic absence of all allu- 
sion to his own youth or any thing personal. It is a plain, 
but clear and sensible discussion of that great topic, a Call 
to the Ministry. Equally beyond our expectation was it to 
recover the first sermon which he ever wrote, while yet a 
student, and of which mention has been made. It is upon 
Acts xvi. 31, and bears the date, 1790. 

Having now been licensed as a probationer, it was his 
intention to return home and devote himself to study ; but 
the purpose was overruled by a clear providence. Tidings 
came that the Eev. William Hill (a servant of Christ who 
has gone to his rest since we last mentioned his name) was 
prevented by a fever from continuing his labours in Berkeley, 
now J efferson County. Some religious awakening had taken 
place in that region, and the neighbouring ministers urged 
Mr. Alexander to come to their aid. Mr. LeGrand also was 
desirous of making an excursion, and offered an inviting field 
of labour in his congregations of Opekan and Cedar Creek, 



EARLY SERMONS. 



113 



including Winchester. A revival had been in progress 
among his people for some months. The following is an 
abridged record of some of these earliest labours. 

" After the Synod adjourned, I went with Mr. LeG-rand 
to an appointment which he had at old Mr. Feely's, some 
fifteen miles from Winchester. He told me that I must 
preach, but I positively refused. He said nothing at the 
time, but when the congregation was assembled, he arose and 
said, i Mr. Alexander, please to come forward to the table, 
and take the books and preach/ I knew not what to do, 
but rather than make a disturbance I went forward and 
preached my first sermon after licensure, from Galatians iii. 
24, 6 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us 
unto Christ/ Among the hearers was old General Morgan, 
whose residence was in the vicinity. 

" My next sermon was preached at Charlestown, from the 
text, Acts xvi. 31, c Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved/ I had prepared a skeleton of the 
sermon and placed it before me ; but the house being open 
a puff of wind carried it away into the midst of the congre- 
gation. I then determined to take no more paper into the 
pulpit ; and this resolution I kept as long as I was a pastor, 
except in a very few instances/*' I had, it is true, written 
seven sermons, but had committed none of them to memory, 
and to this day though I have made several efforts I have 
never succeeded in getting a discourse by heart. Having of 

* "From that time for twenty years, I never took a note of any kind into 
the pulpit ; except that T read my trial sermon at ordination." — MS. Remi- 
niscences. 

8 



114 



MANNER OF PREACHING. 



late been much accustomed to exhort in public, I felt little 
embarrassment and went on fluently enough." 

If we were more fully provided with reports other than 
his own of these early efforts, we should doubtless find that 
in the estimation of all who heard them they were of a high 
order. So far as he could be drawn out to speak of his own 
performances — a subject which he always avoided — these 
were equal to any public endeavours of his life. Great in- 
terest was added to his other qualities by the juvenile ap- 
pearance of the preacher ; indeed he seemed but a little boy. 
His complexion was fair, his eye was dark and penetrating, 
and his voice according to every witness of that period was 
incomparably clear and flute-like. It always was both reso- 
nant and penetrating, but at this time was of a silvery tone 
both in speaking and singing. His fluency and command of 
words were extraordinary ; and in these youthful discourses 
he gave full swing to an imagination which he learned more 
and more to chasten in later years. The Eev. Dr. Speece, 
once speaking to us concerning his early exuberance, said, 
" You think him animated now, but if you had heard him 
in his youth, you would compare him to nothing so readily 
as to a young horse of high blood, let out into a spacious 
pasture, exercising every muscle, and careering in every 
direction with extravagant delight." 

There are no circumstances which bring out the gift of 
pulpit eloquence more fully or speedily than those in which 
he was now placed. Going rapidly from assembly to assem- 
bly, followed by awakened and admiring crowds, in times of 
great revival, and during all the intervals plying the same 



MEETINGS. 



115 



work among warm and affectionate brethren, by conversation, 
prayer and praise, he was kept in that state of healthful 
and pleasurable excitement which animates and exalts the 
powers, and forms habits of ready and powerful expression. 

So accustomed was he to associate pleasurable sensations 
with pulpit -work, that even in later years he used to laugh 
at the notion of any one's being injured by preaching. And 
it was commonly observed, through most of his life, that 
however depressed in spirits he might be before the service, 
he always came from it in the highest state of exhilaration. 
Never was he more free or full in conversation. These were 
the times at which to draw from him his most elevated reli- 
gious discourse, as well as his liveliest narratives ; and his 
own household, or those in which he was a guest, remember 
such hours with a pensive delight. Like good Rowland Hill, 
he was cured of many an ailment by the delivery of a long 
and animated sermon. 

After visiting Shepherdstown and preaching for Dr. 
Hoge, he returned to Frederick, to supply Mr. LeGrand's 
place according to appointment. Gladly would we multiply 
such recitals as that which follows : " The weeks which I 
spent at Opekan passed pleasantly. Besides the services of 
the Sabbath we had a weekly meeting at Major Gilkin's. 
These were delightful gatherings, for the presence of God 
seemed to be with us. I remember one meeting in particular 
in which all present seemed to be melted down in a remark- 
able manner. On one of the days on which I attended there, 
an old man, after sermon, told me that he wished to speak 
with me. He led me as far from the house as he could do 



A CONVERTED FAMILY. 



without crossing a high fence, and then burst into tears, 
saying, 6 1 am a poor old sinner ! ' His weeping was so pro- 
fuse that he could say no more, except to request me to visit 
him at his own house. This I promised, and next day I 
found my way through a desolate pine wood and an intricate 
path, to the dwelling, where the poor old man was trying to 
spell out some sentences in the New Testament. He said 
that he was unable to read, but could spell a little, and thus 
could make out some things which gave him much satisfac- 
tion. But he informed me that his boys, who were now 
absent, could read pretty well, and that they had spent 
nearly all the preceding night over the New Testament ; for 
his sons were as anxious to learn as himself. The old woman 
was busy spinning on a flax wheel, and continued to work 
while I conversed with her husband. At length I turned to 
her with the words, ' And what does your wife think of these 
things ? 9 She immediately ceased from her work, and burst 
into tears, but answered not a word. Here was a family, of 
which the heads had grown gray without having ever at- 
tended public worship ; and who until now knew no more of 
a Saviour than the heathen. But they were now like persons 
come into a new world. Indeed all their views and feelings 
were entirely new. Salvation had come to their house. I 
learned that a multitude of poor people lived in these pines, 
who seldom heard a sermon except when some itinerant 
Methodist passed through the settlement. I was desirous to 
preach to them ; and the opportunity was afforded by an 
invitation to the house of a Mrs. Carlisle, the wife of a 
Quaker miller, who had been read out of meeting for marry- 



CONVERT OF WHITEFIELD. 



117 



ing a person not of the Society. But he retained all his 
attachments to Quakerism, and was rather crusty towards 
his wife when she wished to have Presbyterian ministers at 
the house, and commonly went out of the way. Mrs. Car- 
lisle's mother. Mrs. Douglass, lived with her, a convert of 
Whitefield, and a woman of uncommon piety. From her I 
heard much about the preaching of that great man. She 
had resided at White Clay Creek, where Charles Tennent 
was minister, and where Mr. Whitefield preached several 
days in succession to thousands of people. The old lady 
was now and had long been a Seceder. Knowing the 
opposition of that people to Whitefield, I thought it sur- 
prising that one of his admirers should have joined herself to 
them. But she thus explained it. The opposers of the 
revival, in the Presbyterian Church, were called the Old 
Side, and where she lived they had manifested a malignant 
opposition to the work of grace, insomuch that the new con- 
verts considered the Old Side as the declared enemies of the 
revival. But after some time a union was effected, which so 
offended some of the zealous disciples of Whitefield, that 
when about the same time the Seceders made their appear- 
ance, they were joined by the disaffected persons, Mrs. 
Douglass being included. She was the mother of James 
and Daniel Douglass, of Alexandria, Ya., and the grand- 
mother of the Eev. James W. Douglass, who died at Fay- 
ette ville some years since. " 

After supplying Mr. LeGrancVs pulpit until his return, 
Mr. Alexander proceeded to aid his friend Mr. Hill, preach- 
ing often in private houses, and sometimes in the small 



118 



STUDY OF SERMONS. 



Presbyterian church at Charlestown. u Here/' says he, " ] 
first saw old John White, the father of Judge White of Win- 
chester, and grandfather of the minister at Komney, in 
Hampshire. The whole White family were remarkable foi 
strength of mind and acquaintance with the Scriptures. 
The old gentleman had Erskine's G-ospel Sonnets by heart, 
and was eminent for simple piety. I think he dated his 
religious impressions from hearing Mr. Kobinson, the first 
regular Presbyterian minister who entered Virginia. I 
was now in the region where I was to labour, and made my 
home at Alexander White's, the son of the fore-mentioned. 
The winter was hard, and the farm-houses in which I 
preached during the week were very uncomfortable places 
for speaking. The attention of the common people was 
awake for a considerable distance around, but they were 
generally very ignorant of the doctrines of religion, and my 
preaching was more of the didactic than the hortatory kind. 
I had no books with me but my small pocket Bible, and 
found very little to read in the houses where I stopped. I 
was therefore thrown back entirely on my own thoughts. I 
studied every sermon on horseback, and in bed before I went 
to sleep, and some of the best sermons that I ever prepared 
were digested in this way and at this time/' 

In reading records like these we are led to see the force 
of such remarks as those of the Eev. Dr. Hall, who says, 
" It deserves to be noted by all ministers and candidates, 
that one of the chief external means by which Dr. Alexan- 
der attained what are often called his inimitable excellencies 
as a preacher, was his spending several years after licensure 



COMPENSATION. 



119 



and ordination, in itinerant missionary service, preaching in 
the humblest and most destitute places, often in the open 
air, and adapting his language and manner to minds that 
needed the plainest kind of instruction. It will be a good 
day for the ministry and the church, when the performance 
of a term of such itinerant service shall be exacted as part 
of the trials of every probationer before ordination."* 

In a record contained in another manuscript, the same 
subject is touched. " Some of the sermons which I most 
frequently preached during my ministry I studied out this 
winter, without putting pen to paper. Indeed I had no 
opportunity to write sermons. The houses in which I lodged 
had but one [sitting room], and I remained but a short time 
at any one place. When Mr. Hill returned from Charlotte, 
I was at liberty to give up the field which I had occupied ; 
but the winter was severe and travelling unpleasant, and Mr. 
Hoge urged me to continue in the neighbourhood until 
spring. For all the labours of the winter I received not 
one cent, and indeed expected nothing. But as I came 
from home without expecting to be long absent, I found that 
if I remained I must provide myself with some articles of 
clothing. Upon my mentioning this as a reason for return- 
ing home, Mr. Hoge took me to a store and became respon- 
sible for what I needed ; and as soon as I returned home I 
sent him the money which was due. 

" While I remained I continued to preach frequently, for 
Mr. Hoge, for Mr. Hill, and for old Mr. Vance of Tuscarora, 

* Sermon on the death of Dr. Alexander, in ' Home, the School, and the 
Church,' Vol. iii. p. 98. v 



120 



MR. HOGE. 



who then lay upon his death-bed. In his congregation 1 
met with one Kobert Campbell, whose memory was prodi- 
gious. The Kev. Dr. McKnight had formerly been his 
pastor, and was held by him in great admiration. Campbell 
could repeat many of the Doctor's sermons verbatim. After 
removing to New-York Dr. McKnight resolved to publish 
several sermons on Faith, but he had lost the manuscript of 
one among them. He had recourse to Mr. Campbell, who 
supplied what was missing, and, as I was informed, with 
great exactness." 

There were few of Dr. Alexander's early friends and 
counsellors of whom he spoke oftener or more affectionately 
than Mr. Hoge, the father of the President. " As Mr. Hoge 
lived only eleven miles from Charlestown, the centre of my 
operations, — here we resume his own narrative, — u whenever 
I could get a day or two I would spend it at his house, and 
though he was very poor and lived on a mere pittance, he 
always received me kindly and gave me free use of his books. 
But my highest privilege was his conversation ; in which he 
assumed no magisterial air, but treated me as if I had been 
his equal. His disposition was in contrast with that of Mr. 
Graham, who was very dogmatical, treated with contempt i 
all opinions which he rejected, and was impatient of con- 
tradiction. But Mr. Hoge patiently and candidly listened 
to every argument and objection brought against his opin- 
ions, and proposed his own views with so much modesty that 
I felt altogether at my ease in conversing with him. He 
caused me still more to hesitate about certain opinions which 
T had heard proposed by my teacher ; and this not by 



SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION. 



121 



making any direct attack on them, but by gently insinuating 
doubts and considerations which led me to a more thorough 
inquiry. One of these opinions was that regeneration is 
produced by light. Mr. Graham always ridiculed the idea 
of a moral change being produced in any other way than by 
motives or a view of the truth. This seemed to some as evi- 
dent as an axiom ; but Mr. Hoge stated difficulties about 
this light. How can light shine into a blind mind, without 
some previous operation on that mind ? The natural man 
cannot know the things of the Spirit of Grod, because they 
are spiritually discerned ; and before they can be spiritually 
discerned the eyes of the mind must be opened. It is true 
that all pious exercises are produced by a view of the truth, 
but this view of the truth is the effect of regeneration, not 
the cause ; unless we confound regeneration and conversion. 
The Spirit of God, by an instantaneous touch, prepares the 
soul to apprehend the truth. By an act of omnipotence he 
communicates spiritual life, and the soul thus quickened, 
begins to see with new eyes, and experience new emotions and 
affections. These views I have entertained since my youth ; 
being intermediate between two extremes ; first, that we are 
regenerated by light let into the mind, or by a presentation 
of the truth objectively to the soul ; and secondly, as the 
Hopkinsians maintain, that the understanding needs no 
change, but to have the truth doctrinally apprehended ; that 
all depravity is in the heart, and therefore that regeneration 
is merely a change of the heart or feelings, while the views of 
the understanding remain as they were before regeneration. 
"As I had an ardent thirst for knowledge, the time which 



122 



END OF TOUR. 



I spent under this quiet roof was diligently employed in 
reading and conversation ; except when we attended religious 
meetings, in which Mr. Hoge took great delight, being grat- 
ified when there was the least appearance of lively feeling. 
He seemed never to be discouraged, and surely did not de- 
spise the day of small things. At this day, when books are 
so abundant, it may surprise some to learn that until now I 
had never seen a copy of the Septuagint ; and that which 
Mr. Hoge had was not complete. I seized it with great 
avidity, and read as much as I could during the time I spent 
there. Here I also read Chrysostom on the Priesthood, in 
an English translation ; so that Mason errs in saying that 
his is the first translation ever made into English. This 
work produced a very solemn impression on my mind, but it 
seemed to relate [to matters] of which before I had no con- 
ception. I also read Kiccaltoun's Exposition of the Epistle 
to the Galatians, and with considerable profit/' 

From a private record of texts and places, we find that 
in the first fifteen months of his ministry he preached one 
hundred and thirty-two sermons. 

In the month of March, 1791, he turned his face home- 
ward, having preached all winter without stipend. "In- 
deed/' says he, "I never thought of compensation for what 
I did, not considering my labours as of any real value." At 
Millerstown, or Woodstock, as it is now called, he was de- 
tained some days by a flood. He lodged with a Mr. Morris, 
from Newcastle in the Northern Neck, the only Presbyterian 
in those parts, except the German Eeformed. He preached 
in a house belonging to the Germans. The village was at 



STAUNTON. 



123 



that day noted for irreligion and wantonness. On his way 
to Lexington he stopped at Staunton. The town contained 
no place of worship but an Episcopal church, which was 
without a minister. " It was proposed/' he continues, " that 
I should preach in the little Episcopal church ; to which I 
consented with some trepidation ; but when I entered the 
house in the evening it was crowded, and all the gentry of 
the town were out, including Judge Archibald Stuart, who 
had known me from a child. I took for my text, 6 "What is 
a man profited/ &c. My first head was to show the worth 
of the soul, the second how it might be lost, and the third 
the unprofitableness of all other acquisitions, if the soul 
should be lost. As I was very young, not yet twenty years 
of age, and my friends were well known here, I was heard 
with great attention. In speaking of the worth of the soul, 
I undertook to give a brief analysis of its powers. Judge 
Stuart expressed surprise that I should know any thing of 
the philosophy of the mind, a science then little cultivated. 
But it had been the favourite study of Mr. Graham, my 
preceptor ; who, while he read little on other subjects, had 
sent for the writings of Eeid and Beattie which had just 
come out. After reading these, however, he planned a sys- 
tem of his own, remarkable for its simplicity and perspicuity, 
which he communicated to all his students ; and this gave 
my mind a turn to this study which may account for any 
proficiency I may have since made in it." 

It would be unpardonable to omit the account of his 
return home, given by the subject of the narrative himself. 
" When I reached home/' so he wrote almost half a century 



124 



PREACHING AT HOME. 



after the event, " there was a great curiosity in men, wo- 
men, and children, to hear me preach. They had often 
heard me speak in public, but preaching was another thing. 
Accordingly, on the next Lord's Day a great congregation 
filled the Court House, which was then used for public wor- 
ship, for at that time there was no church in the place. My 
text was John ix. 25, c One thing I know, that whereas I 
was blind, now I see/ My delivery in those days was fluent 
and rapid. I never appeared to hesitate or be at a loss for 
words ; my thoughts flowed too fast for me. I laboured 
under two great faults as a public speaker ; the first was 
extreme rapidity of utterance, not so much from indistinct 
articulation as neglect of pauses. I ran on till I was per- 
fectly out of breath, so that before I was done my inhala- 
tions became audible ; the other fault was looking steadily 
down upon the floor. This arose from a fear of losing the 
train of my thought ; for my sermons were closely studied, 
though not written. My voice, though not sonorous, was 
uncommonly distinct and clear, so that without painful ex- 
ertion I could be heard in the largest churches, or by a great 
assembly out of doors. I preached but one other Sabbath 
in my native county, and that was not in the town, but at 
Oxford meeting-house. I had very little knowledge of the 
estimation in which my preaching was held, and was always 
surprised to hear of a favourable opinion expressed by any 
one ; for I was so conscious of my own defects, that often 
after preaching I was ashamed to come down from the 
pulpit, and wondered that any could speak kindly to me." 
" As my health was now good, and I had no thought of 



MISSIONARY WORK. 



125 



taking a pastoral charge, I embraced an offer to travel as an 
itinerant missionary in Eastern Virginia. This mission was 
in pursuance of a plan adopted by the Synod of Virginia, 
at their second meeting, in 1789. "There was a Commis- 
sion to superintend this important matter, by whom were 
appointed, successively, Mr. LeGrand, Mr. Hill, Mr. Cary 
Allen, Mr. Marshall, Mr. John Lyle, and Mr. Alexander. 
Eespecting the last named, the minutes contain this state- 
ment, under date April 9, 1792 : ' Upon motion, the Com- 
mission elected Mr. Archibald Alexander, a probationer 
under care of Lexington Presbytery, to the office of mis- 
sionary ; upon condition that the Presbytery recommend him. 
Mr. Graham and Mr. John Lyle are directed to apply to the 
Presbytery for such recommendation/^ 

" The common sentiment was against my remaining 
at home in study, and Mr. Graham urged me to accept the 
appointment. Another young preacher, Benjamin Grigsby, 
a friend and acquaintance of mine from my youth, had re- 
ceived license in the spring, and he and I were sent together 
to preach to a people of whom we knew nothing. Grigsby 
was a young man of talents and scholarship, and was also 
a fine speaker, and possessed of easy and popular manners. 
In the theological class which studied under Mr. Graham he 
was undoubtedly the favourite of his teacher. But though 
respected, he was never much a favourite with his associates, 
lie was two years my senior, but I was licensed six months 
before him. Our directions were to proceed to Petersburgy 
and there separate. While he went eastward from that place, 

* See Foote's Sketches of Virginia, p. 529. 



126 



AMHERST. 



I was to turn westward, along the North Carolina line. 
Being both furnished with good horses and other appoint- 
ments, we took our departure from old Mr. Grigsby's on 
Hart's Bottom. Our first effort was to cross the Blue Eidge 
at Prior's Gap, over the steepest part of the mountain, by 
a bridle-path. We found no difficulty, as we both had been 
accustomed to mountain climbing. For hours however we 
talked but little, as it was necessary to ride singly in the 
path. We had been advised to lodge the first night on the 
Amherst side of the Kidge at the house of Captain David 
Crawford, several of whose sons had been at the Academy, 
and of whom one was now an Episcopal minister. We 
were kindly received by the family, especially by the young 
parson of the parish, who laid himself out to make us com- 
fortable. Appointments for us to preach in his church 
had been sent on, for we were so ignorant, that it never oc- 
curred to us that any objection could arise. Let it be noted, 
that there was not then any Episcopal minister in Bock- 
bridge or Augusta. Mr. Charles Crawford had received the 
notice and published it to his small congregation, near the 
Tobacco Bow Mountain. He also accompanied us to the 
church, where we found about twenty respectable planters, 
to whom Mr. Grigsby preached. After service, Mr. Crawford, 
having first conversed with the few people who were out, 
came and presented in a very formal manner -the thanks of 
the congregation to Mr. Grigsby for his excellent sermon. 
The next day young Mr. Crawford gave us letters to an ac- 
quaintance at whose house we might lodge, and then took 
his horse and accompanied us part of the way." 



PRINCE EDWARD. 



127 



The next day our young travellers reached the mansion 
of Colonel William Cabell, of whom the manuscript notes 
that he was the grandfather of Doctors John, Eobert and 
William Breckinridge, and the brother of Mrs. Paulina 
Read, afterwards Mrs. LeGrand ; names which cannot be 
omitted in any contribution to Presbyterian annals. Crossing 
the James Eiver at Warminster they reached the house of 
Colonel Joseph Cabell, and thence proceeded to their lodgings 
at the New Store. The manners and customs of that re- 
gion have changed since the statements which follow were 
penned. " We were not aware that this neighbourhood was 
famous for the abuse of travellers. At an c ordinary' not 
more than a mile from the place, on the great Buckingham 
road, a set of fellows used to meet for carousal, who never 
failed to maltreat any traveller who came to the house. One 
night they caught an old man named Eoss, from Richmond, 
and held him in the well for some time with his head down- 
ward. Another stranger they threatened to throw into the 
well, unless he would consent to dance for them ; and at 
this exercise they kept him until a late hour of the night ; 
when some intermission being allowed, he slipped out to the 
stable, saddled his horse and fled, being forced to swim over 
the Appomatox Eiver/' 

The next morning brought them to the hospitable man- 
sion of old Mrs. Venable, on the edge of Prince Edward 
County. She was of the Michaux family and a descendant 
of Huguenots who had settled on the James Eiver ; a mar 
tron of great shrewdness, information and piety. Her hus- 
band had long been dead, and her children were grown up. 



128 



SAMUEL VENABLE. 



There was an important vacancy, caused by the resignation 
of Dr. John B. Smith, who had served the united congre- 
gations of Cumberland and Briery. Mr. Grigsby was sent 
to the former and Mr. Alexander to the latter : little sup- 
posing; as he records, that he should ever become their pastor, 
as he was not seeking for a settlement. On Sunday evening 
he went to Little Boanoke Bridge, and became first ac- 
quainted with Mrs. Paulina Bead, whose name must often 
be mentioned in these pages. He preached at the house of 
old Mrs. Morton, where he had attended a meeting in 1789. 
On Wednesday he preached to a small congregation at 
Hampden Sidney College. But the instructions of the 
young missionaries did not permit them to spend more than 
one Sabbath among these " affectionate and delightful peo- 
ple," and they directed their course towards Petersburg. 

During this brief visit Mr. Alexander became acquainted 
with Col. Samuel Venable, a man of great distinction, whom 
he used to name in connection with Graham, Hoge and 
Smith, the counsellors of his youth. His notes concerning 
this invaluable friend have great interest, and cannot be 
inserted in a more suitable place. "Three brothers were 
among the first settlers in Prince Edward. Nathaniel owned 
the place on which the Court House was built, and was 
for a long time an elder in the church, and represented the 
county in the Legislature. He was also an active trustee 

of Hampden Sidney College Samuel was his 

oldest son, who, though grown up when Samuel Stanhope 
Smith opened the Academy of Hampden Sidney, betook 
himself to learning, and followed Smith on his removal to 



SAMUEL VENABLE. 



129 



Princeton, where he was graduated [in 1780], as were also 
three of his brothers, Abram, Eichard and Nathaniel. Wil- 
liam and Thomas were alumni of Hampden Sidney. 

" Samuel Venable intended to study law, but was led by 
some circumstances to engage in merchandise. This busi- 
ness he carried on in a very judicious manner, so as to ac- 
cumulate a large estate. He was a man of clear head and 
sound judgment, and had made observations on the charac- 
ters of men as they passed before him ; and these obser- 
vations he had reduced to maxims. He was confident in 
the opinions which he had formed, but not inclined to 
dispute with those who did not agree with him. He used 
to say that when a young man he was fond of disputation, 
and thought he could bring others to see as he did, but that 
after some experience he found it to be vain, and therefore 
suffered others undisturbedly to enjoy their own opinions. 
His wife was the daughter of the elder judge Paul Carring- 
ton, and sister of the younger ; a woman of uncommon 
vivacity, wit, and power of sarcasm. They had twelve 
children. 

" When Col. Venable was about fifty years of age, he 
thought of giving up active business, and retiring to pursue 
a course of reading and study, which a busy mercantile life 
had prevented. He therefore placed a younger brother in 
the firm, and built for himself an office or study separate 
from his dwelling, where he anticipated much repose and 
gratification. But the event was different. After quitting 
business he fell into a hypochondriac state, in which he 
fancied that his lungs were ulcerated, and that he could 
3 



130 



SAMUEL VENABLE. 



designate the precise spot where the disease was seated. He 
was a man of robust frame 3 and had a broad projecting 
chest, and no symptoms of any real pulmonary disease. 
The opinions of friends and even of physicians had no effect 
to convince him of his error ; he persisted in maintaining his 
opinion. At this time his nerves became so affected, that 
he could scarcely sit still for a few minutes. He kept a 
horse saddled at the door, and whatever company he had he 
would abruptly leave them when the fit seized him, and 
would ride for miles. Nothing seemed to relieve him except 
smoking the pipe, a thing which before this he abhorred. 
. . . . . The disease received no effectual check until 
he was induced to engage again in active business, which 
occupied his attention ; and a portion of his former cheerful- 
ness returned. But he never afterwards possessed the firm- 
ness and confidence which had characterized him before. 
He died suddenly at the Virginia Springs, leaving a large 
family well provided for." 

During the whole of his life Dr. Alexander was accus- 
tomed to speak of Col. Venable as the most remarkable 
instance of wisdom matured by experience and observation, 
that he had ever known ; in which respect he was fond of 
comparing him with Franklin. The descendants of the 
three brothers above mentioned now amount to some hun- 
dreds in Virginia and the new States ; and of these a 
remarkable number are zealous and efficient members of the 
Presbyterian Church. 



CHAPTER SEVENTH. 



1792. 



MISSIONARY TOUR — LUNENBURG THE MILLWRIGHT — CAPT. CRAIGHEAD 

ME. HUNT — WILLIAM COWAN — NOTTOWAY — AMELIA — PETEESBUEG ME. 

JAEEATT — MECKLENBURG MR. PATILLO. 



[ROM Prince Edward the young preachers went towards 



J- Lunenburg. Before sunset they arrived at the house of 
a Mr. Yarborough, a Baptist of some wealth, who received 
them with Christian and Virginian hospitality. Here they 
gained acquaintance with a man whose case is too remarkable 
and characteristic of the times to be omitted. And as the 
memorandums of Dr. Alexander respecting his contemporaries 
furnish facts which would otherwise be entirely lost, we feel 
justified in frequently turning aside to diversify our story by 
such episodes. 

" Mr. Yarborough took occasion to inform us that there 
was a Baptist preacher in his employment as a millwright, 
who would be at the house as soon as his work was finished. 
Accordingly about the dusk of the evening, an old man in 
coarse garb, with leathern apron, and laden with tools, entered 
the house and took his seat on the stairs. Neither Mr. 




132 



ANOTHER MILLWRIGHT. 



Grigsby nor I had ever been acquainted with uneducated 
preachers, and we were struck with astonishment that this 
carpenter should pretend to preach. When we retired, Mr. 
Shelburne, such was his name, was put into the same room 
with us. I felt an avidity to question him respecting his 
call to the ministry, taking it for granted that the old man 
was ignorant. I therefore began by asking him what he 
considered a call to the ministry. Mr. Shelburne perceived 
the drift of my question, and instead of giving a general 
answer proceeded to a narrative of his own experience, and 
to state the circumstances which led him to suppose that 
God had called him to be a preacher. The substance of his 
story was as follows : 

" C I was born in one of the lower counties of Virginia, 
and when young was put to learn the carpenter's trade. 
Until I was a man grown and had a family, I never heard 
any preaching but from ministers of the Established Church, 
and did not even know that there were any others. About 
this time came into the neighbourhood a Presbyterian minis- 
ter, by the name of Martin, whom I went to hear ; and 
before he was done I was convinced that I was in a lost and 
undone condition. He made no stay, and I heard no more 
of him. But a wound had been left in my conscience which 
I knew not how to get healed, and no one about me could 
give any valuable advice as to a cure. I went from day to 
day under a heavy burden, bewailing my miserable state, 
till at length my distress became so great that I could 
neither eat nor sleep with any peace or comfort. My neigh- 
bours said that I was falling into melancholy or going mad, 



THE LAY PREACHER. 



133 



but not one of them had any knowledge from experience of the 
nature of my distress. Thus I continued mourning over my mis- 
erable case for weeks and months. I was led, however, to read 
constantly in the Bible ; but this rather increased than lessened 
my distress ; until one Sunday evening I saw as clearly as I 
ever saw any thing how I could be saved, through the death 
of Christ. I was filled with comfort, and yet sorrow for my 
sins flowed more copiously than ever. I praised God aloud, 
and immediately told my wife that I had found salvation ; 
and when any of my neighbours came to see me, I told them 
of the goodness of God, and what he had done for my soul, 
and how he had pardoned all my sins. As I spoke freely of 
the wonderful change I had experienced, it was soon noised 
abroad, and many came to see me, and to hear an account 
of the matter from my own mouth. 

" c On Sabbath evenings my house would be crowded, 
and when I had finished my narrative I was accustomed to 
give them a word of exhortation. And as I could be better 
heard when standing, I stood and addressed my neighbours, 
without any thought of preaching. After proceeding for 
some time in this way, I found that several others began to 
be awakened by what they heard from me, and appeared to 
be brought through the new birth much as I had been. 
This greatly encouraged me to proceed in my work, and 
God was pleased to bless my humble labours to the con- 
version of many. All this time I did no more than relate 
my own experience and then exhort my neighbours to seek- 
unto the Lord for mercy. Thus was I led on from step to 
step, until at length I actually became a preacher, without 



134 



JAMES SHELBURNE. 



intending it. Exercised persons would frequently come to me 
for counsel, as I had been the first among them to experi- 
ence the grace of God ; and that I might be able to answer 
their questions I was induced to study the Bible continually ; 
and often while at work, particular passages would be opened 
to my mind ; which encouraged me to hope that the Lord 
had called me to instruct those who were more ignorant 
than myself ; and when the people would collect at my 
house, I explained to them those passages which had been 
opened to my mind. All this time I had no instruction in 
spiritual matters from any man, except the sermons which I 
heard from Mr. Martin. But after a few years there came 
a Baptist preacher into our neighbourhood, and I found that 
his doctrine agreed substantially with my experience, and 
with what I had learned out of the Bible. I travelled about 
with him, and was encouraged by him to go on in the exer- 
cise of my gift of public speaking, but was told by him that 
there was one duty which I was required to perform, which 
was that I should be baptized according to the command of 
Christ. And as we rode along we came to a certain water, 
and I said, See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be 
baptized ? Upon which we both went down into the water, 
and he baptized me by immersion in the name of the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. From that time I have con- 
tinued until this day, testifying to small and great, to white 
and black, repentance towards God and faith in our Lord 
J esus Christ ; and not without the pleasure of seeing many 
sinners forsaking their sins and turning unto God. 

"/Now/ said he. 'you have heard the reasons which 



JAMES SHELBURNE. 



135 



induce me to believe that God has called me to preach the 
Gospel to the poor and ignorant. I never considered myself 
qualified to instruct men of education and learning. I have 
always felt badly when such have come to hear me. But as 
for people of my own class, I believed that I could teach 
them many things which they need to know ; and in regard 
to such as had become pious. I was able, by study of the 
Bible and meditation, to go before them, so that to them 
also I could be in some measure a guide. I lament my 
want of learning, and am deeply convinced that it is useful 
to the ministry of the Gospel ; but it seems to me that there 
are different gifts now as of old, and one man may be suited 
to one part of the Lord's work, and another to another part. 
And I do not know but that poor and ignorant people can 
understand my coarse and familiar language better than the 
discourses of the most learned and eloquent men. I know 
their method of thinking and reasoning, and how to make 
things plain by illustrations and comparisons adapted to 
their capacities and their habits/ 

" When the old millwright had finished his narrative, I 
felt much more inclined to doubt my own call to the minis- 
try, than that of James Shelburne. Much of the night was 
spent in this conversation, while my companion was enjoying 
his usual repose. "We talked freely about the doctrines of 
religion, and were mutually gratified at finding how exactly 
our views tallied. From this night James Shelburne became 
an object of my high regard, and he gave abundant testimo- 
ny of his esteem for me. Whenever I visited that part of 
the country, he w r as wont to ride many miles to hear me 



136 



JAMES SHELBURNE. 



preach, and was pleased to declare that he had never heard 
any of the ministers of his own denomination with whose 
opinions he could so fully agree as with mine. I had the 
opportunity of hearing him preach several times, and was 
pleased not only with the soundness of his doctrine, but the 
unaffected simplicity of his manner. His discourses con- 
sisted of a series of judicious remarks expressed in the 
plainest language, and in a conversational tone, until he be- 
came by degrees warmed with his subject, when he fell into 
a singing tone, but nothing like what was common with 
almost all Baptist preachers of the country at that time. 
As he followed his trade from day to day, I once asked him 
how he found time to study his sermons ; to which he re- 
plied, that he could study better at his work, with his ham- 
mer in his hand, than if shut up and surrounded with books. 
When he had passed the seventieth year of his age he gave 
up work, and devoted himself entirely to preaching. Being 
a man of firm health, he travelled to a considerable distance 
and preached nearly every day. On one of these tours, 
after I was settled in Charlotte County, I saw him for the 
last time. The old man appeared to be full of zeal and love, 
and brought the spirit of the Gospel into every family which 
he visited. He was evidently ripening for heaven, and ac- 
cordingly, not long after, he finished his course with joy. 
Thus I have anticipated much that relates to my old friend, 
although his end did not occur until many years after 
this time." * 

* See also an account of the same man, in the " New Orleans Protestant w 
"or 1846 or 1847. 



JAMES HUNT. 



137 



At Keedy Creek the travellers met with some persons 
from whom they acquired many important facts as to the 
early plantation of our church in Virginia. Distinguished 
among these was Captain William Craighead, an intimate 
friend of the Eev. Samuel Davies of Hanover, with whom he 
served as an elder. He cordially welcomed the missionaries, 
as his family and that of William Cowan, Esq., were the 
only Presbyterians of the neighbourhood. He produced a 
file of letters received from President Davies after his removal 
to Princeton, and said it was his custom to read them over 
on a certain day in every year. From his ardour of dispo- 
sition, activity, fluency of speech and religious zeal, the 
Captain was well fitted to be a useful officer in the church. 
In all the negotiations touching Mr. Davies' s removal he bore 
a prominent part, and afterwards was several times a com- 
missioner to convey a call to other northern ministers ; 
among the rest to Mr. Kirkpatrick of New Jersey. After 
many disappointments the Hanover people were at length 
visited by the Eev. David Rice, who became their pastor. 
After Mr. Rice's departure, the congregation remained many 
years vacant, and the church declined more and more. 

The notices respecting another old Christian of that 
country aid our conceptions of the type of religion which 
prevailed. This was Mr. Hunt, the father of Craighead's 
second wife. He was a subject of the work of grace in 
Hanover, before they had any preaching. He was old enough 
to have a family around him, when the awakening began, in 
consequence of finding and reading certain old books. He 
remembered Mr. Robinson's visit, and gave a particular ac- 



138 



WILLIAM COWAN. 



count of the circumstances attending his arrival. He had a 
notion that when a young man God had called him by name, 
it is believed in Williamsburg. Sitting up till midnight he 
heard a voice from above distinctly calling him, James 
Hunt, James Hunt ! Contrary to what is usual in such 
visitations, the voice was distinctly heard by two women 
who were ironing in a room near at hand. From that time 
he had very serious thoughts about religion, but was igno- 
rant of its nature, until the famous " reading " commenced at 
Mr. Morris's house, in the neighbourhood of which he lived. 
The genuineness and sincerity of Mr. Hunt's religion were ren- 
dered evident by a life of even, humble piety, during seventy 
years. "In his ninety-second year/' says Dr. Alexander, 
" he read Paine's Age of Eeason, not long after which I 
visited him, at the house of his son Gilbert, on Staunton 
Kiver ; and was struck with the remarks which he made on 
that infidel performance. At that time he related to me an 
experience which he had had many years before. One 
morning as he arose from his bed, he had so ravishing a 
view of the glory of God, that for some time he stood in 
mute astonishment. And when this passed away he en- 
joyed for a fortnight such a peace, that he could conceive of 
no greater happiness." 

Another person whom the missionaries found in Lunen- 
burg was William Cowan, a Scotchman by birth, a lawyer 
of some eminence, and a man of eminent piety. Having 
come to this country when a lad, with an elder brother, he 
fell in with the Methodists, exhorted in public, and was 
elated with his supposed success in public speaking. He 



WILLIAM COWAN. 



139 



used to relate that he felt sure he could produce a ser- 
mon off-hand on any text in the Bible ; and that to make 
a trial, he opened the book at random, and alighted on these 
words, Obadiah 3, " The pride of thy heart hath deceived 
thee/' &c. This came home to his conscience and feelings 
with a power so convincing that he fell prostrate on the 
ground, and from that hour a great change was wrought in 
his character, and he became an humble man for the rest of 
life. When a suitable occasion offered itself he returned to 
the bosom of the Presbyterian Church, in which he had been 
baptized. "Mr. Cowan/' says our manuscript, "was cer- 
tainly one of the most uniformly serious men I was ever 
acquainted with. In his arguments at the bar, his solemn 
voice and formal manner of dividing his subject much resem- 
bled preaching. Though always grave he was not austere, 
and the impression which he made on men of the world, and 
especially on his associates, was exceedingly favourable, 
while his profound skill in jurisprudence was universally 
acknowledged. He was no orator, but in causes requiring 
legal acumen and judgment, he was by many preferred to 
Patrick Henry, with whom he practised in the same courts 
for many years, living in habits of intimacy with that 
great man. When the war was ended he was almost en- 
tirely occupied in collecting moneys due to the Scotch mer- 
chants, who had generally gone off at the commencement 
of the Eevolution ; a business which was attended with 
little difficulty after the confirmation of Jay's Treaty. But 
immediately after the Eevolution the payment of these 
debts was resisted, and Patrick Henry, as I have been in- 



WILLIAM COWAN. 



formed, never made a greater display of his extraordinary 
abilities, than in a speech before the Supreme Court against j 
the equity of these claims ; so that the British agents who 
were in court said to one another, 'We had better go 
home, for this man, before he is done, will make us the 
debtors instead of the creditors/ 

" When Mr. Cowan retired from the bar, and confined 
himself to collecting the aforesaid debts, he came often into 
the part of the country where I resided, and I had the op- 
portunity of being much with him. And having observed 
his solemn manner at the bar and his uniform seriousness 
and devotion, I, as well as others, concluded that he ought 
to become a preacher of the gospel. One day, therefore, 
when riding with him from the place of worship, I ventured 
to broach the subject. He said it had often been suggested 
to his mind, but that after the most mature deliberation he 
had come to the conclusion that it would be unwise for him 
to enter the ministry. That the habits of one profession 
long fixed could not be easily laid aside to assume those of 
another ; that he had had much to do in worldly business, 
and had been obliged in the course of his profession to offend 
many persons ; that many were prejudiced against him on 
account of his being the attorney for British merchants, to 
whom almost all were indebted ; and especially that he still 
was concerned in cases which could not be terminated for 
many years. I was much impressed with the solid weight 
of these reasons. 

" He was deeply sensible of the evils of slavery, and one 
day said to me that there was a secret policy in the minds 



BISHOP MADISON. 



141 



of some leading men in the state, to tax slaves very heavily, 
so as by degrees to render them unprofitable ; as they were 
convinced that the mass of slaveholders would never consent 
to emancipate them while they were profitable/' 

After Mr. Grigsby had preached at Eeedy Creek, to a 
small congregation, he and his companion were met by Capt. 
Craighead, who took them to his house and entertained 
them with much kindness. On the next Sabbath they went 
to Lunenburg Court House, two or three miles distant, 
where Bishop Madison was to preach. They heard him dis- 
course on standing in the old paths. The object of this 
visitation — and he made but few — was to win back the 
people into the old church. The state of episcopacy in Vir- 
ginia at this period may be learnt from the history of Dr. 
Hawks. Captain Craighead and Mr. Cowan expressed the 
opinion that there was no vitality in the body, except in the 
parish of old Mr. Jarratt, of whom more will be said here- 
after. In the afternoon both the young Presbyterians 
preached in the Court House, to a large and attentive audi- 
ence, of whom most had never heard a minister of this per- 
suasion. The youthful appearance of the speakers attracted 
much attention. In the county of Amelia they found no 
Presbyterians, but were warmly entertained by an old Col. 
Brooking, who, with his wife, had been accustomed in their 
youth to hear Mr. Davies. " They informed us that J ohn 
Bodgers Davies resided near them, and was frequently their 
guest. Old Mrs. Brooking added, that she had once asked, 
him to do her a special favour, and on his consenting, in- 
formed him that she desired him to take home and read the 



142 



A SON OF DAVIES. 



little poem which his father had written on the occasion of 
his birth. He answered that he could not do it, and that 
he had never perused any of his father's writings. 

" Six or seven years after this, I made a tour through 
the counties south of James River, and found that he had 
removed to Sussex. The man with whom I staid, a Mr. 
Chapel, a Methodist, told me that there was a Presbyterian 
gentleman near him, who never attended any of their meet- 
ings, and that he was glad I had come. Mr. Chapel urged 
me to preach in the evening ; and went himself to inform 
Mr. Davies of the service. But he could not by all his argu- 
ments prevail on him to come. And finally, to get clear of 
his importunity, he said, 6 If the Apostle Paul was to preach 
at your house to-night, I would not go ; nay, if my own 
father was to preach there I would not go/ " 

It deserves to be mentioned that great assemblies were 
gathered to the preaching of Mr. Alexander during this visit 
to Amelia. A report had been circulated that he was only 
fifteen or sixteen years of age, which indeed his appearance 
seemed to justify, though at this time he was nearly twenty. 
From all the accounts which we have been able to obtain 
during a residence in the same region nearly thirty years 
ago, when many were surviving who remembered these juve- 
nile efforts, we are induced to believe that at no period of 
his ministry was the preaching of Mr. Alexander more at- 
tractive and powerful than at that very time. With little 
of that culture which he afterwards received in large measure, 
he had the glow and exuberance of youth, a fund of bril- 
liant imagery and copious words, a magical fascination of 



PETERSBURG. 



143 



voice, and above all a spirituality of mind, which was the 
chief endowment in the apprehension of those aged persons 
who gave the report. His labours were abundant, some- 
times involving successive days of preaching, at places far 
apart ; and they were doubtless instrumental in promoting 
the growth of that Church to the service of which his whole 
energy both in youth and age was consecrated. 

Continuing their journey in the direction of the rivers 
towards tidewater, our missionaries went next to Petersburg. 
They were consigned by letter to Mr. Thomas Shore, of 
Pocahontas, on the side of- the Appomatox opposite to the 
town. This gentleman's father, Dr. Shore of Hanover, had 
been one of Mr. Davies's elders. They took up their abode, 
however, with a Mr. Dodson, who proved to be an obliging 
and serious man, but unconnected with any religious body. 
The good man informed the young preachers that there 
would be no difficulty in procuring them a place in which to 
hold meetings, assuring them that they might have either 
the Episcopal church, or the Methodist church in Blandford. 
He accordingly agreed to go and see the principal local 
preacher of the Methodists, a considerable merchant, of 
whose liberality he spoke in high terms. "It was also 
agreed/' says Mr. Alexander, " that Mr. Grigsby should go 
to Blandford and secure the Episcopal church there, so that 
each might have a place of preaching. We thought every 
thing was to go on swimmingly. After dinner we stepped 
into a store in the old town, as Mr. Grigsby wanted a pair 
of black silk gloves for the pulpit. While he was chaffering 
at the counter, the owner of the store said to me, i When 



144 



SEARCH FOR A PULPIT. 



I saw you ride into town, I thought you were Methodist 
preachers, but now I find I was mistaken ; pray, to what 
denomination do you belong ? ' On our replying, he said, 
c Ah ! Presbyterian ! 3 with a peculiar tone and expression 
of countenance ; c We have a man in town who was once a 
Presbyterian preacher, but is now a merchant ; for he says 
he can't sell goods and preach too/ I replied, that I thought 
the man was perfectly right, as no man could fulfil the du- 
ties of the sacred office and be a merchant at the same 
time. His colour rose at this, and he said, with a smarter 
tone, ' Then you do not agree with the Apostle Paul, for he 
preached and wrought at the trade of tent making/ I 
answered that I did agree with Paul, who had given solemn 
directions to Timothy that ministers should give themselves 
wholly to their work ; and that Paul's labouring was from 
necessity, and to take away all occasion of prejudice from 
his enemies. Here we left the store, and on relating what 
had passed to Mr. Dodson, were informed that this man was 
a preacher and a leading person among the Methodists/' 

There is much naivete in the description of these first 
attempts to exercise their gifts in a large town. " On 
Saturday, Mr. Grigsby proceeded to Blandford and Mr. Dod- 
son applied to the local preacher, requesting their house at 
hours which would not interfere with their worship, and 
was confounded to find that it could not be had. Mr. Dod- 
son was greatly mortified, as he said he and many others 
who were not of their society had helped to build the house. 
When Mr. Grigsby returned from Blandford, he told us he 
had visited Mr. Cameron, the rector, from whom he had re- 



JOHN BAPTIST'S SPRING. 



145 



ceived an unceremonious refusal. He had, however, met with 
a Dr. Hull, born in Augusta and bred a Presbyterian, whc 
insisted that we should dine with him the next day. I 
hesitated, but thinking a private house would be more 
agreeable than Mr. Dodson' s boarding house, I consented. 
The question as to a place of preaching was not yet satis- 
factorily answered. We made many inquiries, but nothing 
presented itself. At length I asked Mr. D., if they never 
had field-preaching about the town. He said there was a 
spring about a mile off called J ohn Baptist's Spring, be- 
cause an old Baptist, a black man named John, sometimes 
held forth there. I replied that this should be our preach- 
ing place ; but how to give notice was the difficulty. At 
length Mr. Dodson suggested that he had a smart negro 
boy, who could go through the town with a bell, carrying 
the notice in his hand to be read by all who might meet 
him. I was much pleased with this scheme, and we pre- 
pared in a large legible hand a notice that two young Pres- 
byterian ministers would preach at the 6 stand 9 of J ohn the 
Baptist, at four o'clock in the afternoon. Our little black was 
already summoned, when information came that Mr. Pren- 
tiss, the printer, had offered for our use a large unfurnished 
house in Bolingbroke Street. 

" In the morning I went with Mr. Dodson to the Metho- 
dist church, and Mr. Grigsby went to Blandford to hear 
Mr. Cameron. The circuit rider who attended in Petersburg 
on that occasion was no indifferent speaker. He was either 
an Englishman, or had caught the swell and rotundity of 
English elocution from preachers who had come over from 

10 



146 



A DINNER PARTY. 



that country. But after he had proceeded some length in 
his discourse, he went out of his way to warn the people 
against a set of preachers who taught that the righteousness 
of Christ was imputed to the believer. He said this was a 
dangerous doctrine, and before he was done called it imputed 
nonsense and blasphemy. I was astonished, not being then 
aware of the Methodist hostility to this doctrine. After 
sermon I went over to Blandford to meet Mr. G. at Dr. 
Hull's. Here I learned that Mr. Cameron also had uttered 
a violent tirade against Calvinists, and warned the people 
against hearing them, as he understood some preachers of 
that description had come to the place. Thus were we met 
with opposition on all sides. 

" Soon after our arrival the company began to come in, 
carriage after carriage. We found to our chagrin that a 
large party had been invited, and as Archibald Gracie of 
New- York and some other guests were late, the hour for 
preaching had nearly come before we sat down. We ex- 
pressed our uneasiness to the host, who said we should be 
there in full time. But before we had made our way half 
through the elegant dinner, which did me no good, the hour 
arrived. We unceremoniously rose from table, in the midst 
of a smart thunder shower. The rain prevented many who 
would have come, for the refusal to let us preach had excited 
much feeling. The house, however, which was in a very 
rough state, was well filled, and Mr. Grigsby preached a 
plain, solemn and impressive sermon, on John iii. 3. The 
people were very attentive, and an old Mr. Angus took us 
cordially by the hand, and in a strong Scotch accent asked 



PETERSBURG. 



147 



us to go home with kiin, to which we agreed. He informed 
us that the majority of Parson Cameron's hearers were 
Scotch people, who had been brought up Presbyterians ; 
8 Yes/ he added. i and he also was brought up a Presbyte- 
rian/ Before the people were dismissed, we learned that 
application had been made for the use of the Masonic Hall, 
a spacious building in Blandford, but that an old lady, who 
taught a dancing school there, strongly objected, fearing lest 
we should injure her craft. But when the Master Mason 
heard this, he brought the key of the Hall and delivered it 
to one of our friends. The next day, therefore, I preached to 
a very large congregation in this fine room; and Mr. Grigsby 
preached on the day following. During these days an ear- 
nest application was made, for one of us to remain and preach 
there statedly. And if we could have staid, a Presbyterian 
congregation might have been gathered fifteen years before 
such an organization actually took place. But each of us 
had a tour of six months before him. 

" "We now took our leave of Petersburg and of one 
another. This last we were very reluctant to do ; for we had 
found that *' two are better than one/ and that the plan 
adopted by our Saviour was better than any other. Xo 
sooner had I turned my face westward, than I began to feel 
solitary and dejected. Grigsby's exuberance of spirits had 
previously kept me up, but now I was left to my own gloomy 
forebodings of innumerable difficulties/' 

The name of the Reverend Devereux Jarratt is well 
known by all the friends of evangelical religion in Virginia, 
where he shone as a light in a dark place, during a season 



148 



DEVEREUX JARRATT. 



when the Episcopal Church had few to declare the gospel in 
its simplicity. Having heard much of his piety and elo- 
quence, Mr. Alexander determined to spend the next Sab- 
bath with him. The good old man had lately attended the 
diocesan convention at Bichmond, and had preached a pun- 
gent and faithful discourse, which was then fresh from the 
press. He was found in his spacious old-fashioned house, in 
the midst of a large plantation, without children, but sur- 
rounded by sleek, happy-looking servants. " But I confess/' 
says the narrative, " I was much better pleased with Mrs. 
Jarratt. There was so much of sweetness and kindness in 
this old lady, that I have seldom seen the like. Mrs. 
Grammar, of Petersburg, known to me long afterwards, was 
in affability, goodness, and Christian courtesy the exact 
resemblance of Mrs. Jarratt. Indeed, she was brought up 
under her tuition, and her son now occupies Mr. Jarratt's 
place in the parish of Bath. The old gentleman seemed at 
first reserved and austere. I was a perfect stranger to him, 
very young, and younger in appearance than in reality, and 
as far as I remember, brought no introductory letters ; they 
were less common in those days than now. He did not 
leave his study to keep me company, but left the good lady 
to attend on me, which she did in a manner that could not 
but be most soothing to the heart of a stranger, much dis- 
posed to melancholy thoughts. After a little, however, Mr. 
J arratt began to unbend ; and the first thing he did was to 
examine me on the Evidences of Christianity, and to get 
something of my history, and of my purpose in visiting that 
part of the country. Finding me not altogether ignorant, 



DEVEEEUX JAERATT. 



149 



he proceeded to converse with me freely. He related a con- 
troversy which he had had the week before with the Metho- 
dist Presiding Elder of the district ; in the course of which 
the latter asked in regard to something which he had 
asserted, ' How should you know any better than I?' c Be- 
cause/ answered Mr. J arratt, c I had read more books before 
you were born, than you have done in your whole life/ 

"He said his parish was much reduced, and that the 
state of religion was very low ; but he described scenes of 
a truly animating kind which had been witnessed there. 
When he first preached there, as the people were gay and 
careless, he prepared a few flowery discourses, ad ccqitandum, 
and brought out but little of the gospel plainly. This he 
justified by the case of Paul, who became all things to all 
men. But it was a doubtful expedient, and an experiment 
replete with danger. As to his own church, he knew but 
one man in the ministry whom he regarded as an experi- 
mental Christian ; this was a Mr. Ball. But as he has 
published an account of his own life, which is a curious 
picture of manners in Virginia at that period, I will not 
attempt to sketch his character. His zeal, together with a 
voice of great power and melody, carried him forward and 
raised him high as a preacher ; and as he and Mr. McEo- 
berts were the only two who zealously preached the gospel 
in the church as by law established, their prominence was 
marked. Some years afterwards I heard him preach at 
Hampden Sidney College ; the sermon was evangelical and 
fervent, without signs of care in the preparation, and his 
voice was then broken. A good idea of his labours may be 



150 



NOTTOWAY — MECKLENBURG. 



obtained from his printed sermons. His theological opin- 
ions, as he informed me, were in conformity with those of 
Eichard Baxter, except that he held, and in several publica- 
tions endeavoured to maintain, the possibility of attaining 
sinless perfection in this life." 

The path marked out for Mr. Alexander lay in the 
direction of the North Carolina border. From Petersburg, 
therefore, he retraced his steps through the counties of 
Amelia, Nottoway, and Lunenburg, where he fulfilled en- 
gagements made in the former visit. He then entered Meck- 
lenburg, where the Eev. Mr. Patillo was accustomed to preach 
once in the month. Here the Methodists had enjoyed much 
success for a time. A lady is remembered, who a few years 
before had made much noise. Such was her zeal and en- 
thusiasm, that she spoke and exhorted in public assemblies, 
even when a number of preachers were present. Her figure 
was commanding, and her address won public admiration. 
The young missionary here records a misadventure not un- 
common in such itinerations ; his horse escaped, and was 
missing for some days. In this great embarrassment, his 
gloomy thoughts were dispelled by a discourse which he 
casually opened upon in a friend's house, on the words, 
* Shall we receive good at the hands of the Lord, and shall 
tve not receive evil ? ;; It was in Bennet's Oratory, a work 
m Prayer, for which he always retained a strong attachment. 

At the Blue Stone Meeting-House, he first fell in with 
the Eev. Henry Patillo, who had come over from Granville 
County in Carolina, to administer the Lord's Supper ; and 
3f whom he gives the following notices. Mr. Patillo was 



MR. PATILLO. 



151 



bora in Scotland, and was brought to this country by an 
elder brother, when only nine years old. While yet a young 
man, he became acquainted with Mr. Davies, and having ex- 
perienced the power of grace he entered on studies prepara- 
tory to the ministry, receiving aid from some persons of 
benevolence. But his chief resource was in his own labours as 
a teacher, by which he was enabled to sustain himself. In 
due time he was licensed by the Presbytery of Hanover, at 
that time the only one in Virginia. This was probably 
about the year 1760. For some years he preached in Cum- 
berland, Prince Edward, and Charlotte ; but on receiving an 
invitation to North Carolina, he removed to Granville Coun- 
ty, and had for his charge the congregations of Grassy 
Creek and Nutbush, with which he remained till the close 
of his life. 

Mr. Patillo was above the middle size, of robust consti- 
tution and uninterrupted health. His aspect was benevolent, 
and his manners were simple and affectionate. He was 
free from envy and jealousy, and even in old age had no 
austerity or moroseness. He was especially affable with 
young ministers, delighting in their gifts, for which he gave 
thanks to God. The most untutored and the youngest were 
perfectly at ease in his company ; as he seemed to esteem 
himself the least of all God's servants. Yet he was an in- 
cessant reader, and remembered almost all that he read. In 
the pulpit, he was plain and practical ; but it was evident 
that much pains had been bestowed on his discourses. His 
voice was commanding, and he was generally heard with 
attention. His disposition was so contented, that nothing 



152 



ME. PATILLO. 



seemed to disturb the serenity of his mind. As far as was 
possible for the head of a family, he divested himself of all 
worldly cares. He was always poor, and used to express his 
thankfulness to God for having kept him entirely exempt 
from the snares of wealth. The only kind of property on 
which he set much value, was books. He had a great avidi- 
ty for learning, rather than for accumulating a fine library ; 
but was generous in parting with his treasures to those who 
needed them more than he. " Until this period of my life/' 
says Mr. Alexander, " I had never seen a Hebrew Bible, or 
any other Hebrew book ; and some time after this, having 
found a mutilated copy among the relics of old Kobert 
Henry's books in Charlotte, I begged it of the family, and 
then travelled into North Carolina, to procure a Bythner's 
Lyra Prophetica, from old Mr. Patillo." On a certain occa- 
sion, while Mr. Patillo was absent, his house was consumed 
by fire. On his return, he exclaimed to his wife, " my 
dear, are my books safe ? " And on being assured that they 
were, he devoutly praised Grod. 

Late in life, Mr. Patillo became an author. His principal 
work was an abridgment of LelancVs Deistical Writers ; a 
very seasonable production, at a time when French infidelity 
was rife. The other was a series of plain sermons. A note 
appended to one of these, broached the same doctrine con- 
cerning Christ's human nature, which has since been so 
offensively taught by the famous Edward Irving. It will 
cast light on the ministerial life of those days, here to insert 
a statement of Dr. Alexander's, though out of its chronologi- 
cal place. "While I was minister in Charlotte, the old 



RELIGIOUS FRIENDS. 



153 



gentleman came once to pay his last visit to his friends in 
Virginia. I made a string of appointments for him, reaching 
from Cub Creek to Cumberland, and accompanied him the 
whole round. It was previously suggested to a few as we 
passed from place to place, that it would be well to make a 
contribution, to aid the aged servant of God. When we 
had finished our tour, I had in my saddle-bags about thirty 
dollars, which the people had freely given. As I handed 
him the silver coin (for we had then never seen a bank- 
note), the good old man appeared to be penetrated with 
gratitude/' Mr. Patillo is supposed to have been more than 
seventy years of age at the time of his death. 

Among the early settlements of Presbyterianism in this 
region, Mr. Alexander occasionally found persons of character 
so marked, as to deserve a passing notice. He names a Mr. 
John Young, a warm friend of Mr. Patillo, and a person of 
plain unassuming manners, who was remarkable, in years of 
scarcity, for selling corn at a uniform price, even when it 
would bring twice as much in the market. Col. Smith was 
another leading Presbyterian of the same neighbourhood, 
who had a daughter of extraordinary knowledge and piety. 
The personal narrative says of her : " She understood the 
Calvinistic doctrines better than any woman I ever saw. I 
have spent days in conversation on theological points with 
Polly Smith. Her religion was not merely theoretical, but 
deeply practical. She was a truly devout and humble per- 
son. She became the wife of the Kev. William Williamson, 
of Ohio/' Chesley Daniel and an old Mr. Lewis, are 
al#o mentioned as pious friends of this period. The only 



154 



MISSIONARY WORK. 



contemporary journal of this tour which remains to us, is a 
fragment of just six pages ; which nevertheless contains two 
somewhat interesting entries. " Tuesday, August 7, 1792. I 
preached at Sandy Eiver. The house was very full of people, 
who seemed desirous to hear. I don't remember that any to 
whom I have preached since I was on my tour, were appa- 
rently more affected than these." " Thursday, Aug. 30. I 
preached at Chestnut Meeting-House, to a small congrega- 
tion. In the time of sermon, the people appeared to be 
impressed, and to drink in the Word with greediness. I 
therefore continued my discourse for nearly two hours, and 
then dismissed the congregation. I sat in the pulpit about 
fifteen minutes, but no person in the house offered to go 
away. After some time I arose and told the people, that as 
they were not disposed to leave the house of Grod, their 
meditations might be assisted by singing a hymn ; after 
which I again spoke about three quarters of an hour. There 
were few individuals in the house who did not appear 
deeply affected." 

From the borders of North Carolina, Mr. Alexander 
returned by the way of Charlotte, in Virginia. In fulfilling 
his appointments, it is believed in Mecklenburg, he met with 
the following interesting occurrence ; " A young man named 
William Boyd was afraid to come into the house of wor- 
ship, lest he should be seized with religious impressions ; but 
feeling a strong curiosity to hear the young preacher, he 
at length returned and took a seat near the door, that he 
might go out immediately if any thing touched him. Though 
the bow was drawn at venture, the arrow took effect ; he 



PRESIDENT WADDEL. 



155 



went home under strong convictions and was soon hopefully 
converted, and at an early age became an elder in the 
church. This account I received from his own mouth. He 
was a man of a tender and gentle spirit/' In Charlotte, he 
fell in with Moses Waddel, afterwards the Kev. Dr. Waddel 
of Georgia, but then a tutor at Hampden Sidney College. 



CHAPTER EIGHTH. 



1792—1797. 



PRINCE EDWARD AND CHARLOTTE — EARLY PREACHERS — MR. ROBINSON — 
MR. HENRY — PROGRESS IN LEARNING SMITH 1 S R1YER — PASTORAL SET- 
TLEMENT — MODE OF PREACHING PATRICK HENRY AND JOHN RAN- 
DOLPH — HAMPDEN SIDNEY COLLEGE — JOHN H. RICE — CONRAD SPEECE— 
PRESIDENTSHIP OF THE COLLEGE. 



|HE part of Virginia with which our narrative must now 



J- for some time be concerned, is highly interesting to 
those who wish to study Southern institutions in their con- 
nection with Christianity. There is no portion of the State 
or country where the bright side of the planter's life is 
more agreeably exhibited. The district has always been re- 
markable for its adaptation to the culture of a particular 
variety of tobacco which usually commands high prices, and 
it has therefore abounded in slaves. Although the estates 
are less extensive than in the cotton districts of the remoter 
South, the proprietors enjoy the comforts and luxuries of life 
in a high degree, and almost every family has some man of 
liberal education within its bosom. Hospitality and genial 
warmth may be said to be universal. Nowhere in the South 




MR. ROBINSON. 



157 



has the Presbyterian Church had greater strength among 
the wealthy and cultivated classes. It was to be for a long 
time the theatre of Mr. Alexander's labours ; and through- 
out life he looked back on these as halcyon days. Some of 
the reminiscences gathered by him in his excursions from 
persons long since dead must find a place in these pages. 

The Eev. Mr. Eobinson, one of the pioneers^of Virginia, 
preached in the Caldwell settlement on Cub Creek, in the 
county of Charlotte. It was a small colony of Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians. Among the first ministers settled in Vir- 
ginia, after Mr. Davies, was the Eev. Eobert Henry, who was 
pastor of this church on Cub Creek. He was a pious but 
blunt man, whose natural passions were strong and not alto- 
gether disciplined. His preaching was unpolished but warm 
and evangelical. It should never be forgotten that like Da- 
vies he laboured faithfully for the salvation of the negroes, 
many of whom were converted under his preaching. The 
number of black communicants in this church was greater 
than in any within our bounds ; and in general these con- 
verts maintained a consistent Christian character. Even at 
this moment the fruits of these labours are apparent. From 
the time of Mr. Henry the names of black communicants 
exceeded those of the whites, and were probably more than 
a hundred. 

Some characteristic anecdotes of Mr. Henry are recorded 
in the manuscripts before us. On his way to Briery Meet- 
ing-House, where he regularly preached once a fortnight, 
he was accustomed to lodge at Mr. Morton's, near the Little 
Roanoke bridge. It was his manner, on turning into the 



158 



MR. HENRY. 



forest through which the road lay, to throw the reins upon 
the neck of his horse, and to engage in prayer aloud. On 
one occasion he was so absorbed in this exercise, that the 
horse reached the door before Mr. Henry had ended his de- 
votions. Such was his absence of mind that he sometimes 
mistook his own horse on coming from the place of worship, i 

Mr. Henry was a native of Scotland, but his name 
appears among the early graduates of Princeton, in 1751. 3 
At that time all who had not taken regular degrees else- 
where were required by their Presbyteries to pass through 
the College of New Jersey. 

"The Hebrew Bible/' says the narrative, "which I 
found among the old books in the house of Mr. Henry's 
widow, I brought with me to Philadelphia. Having there 
obtained one more complete, I transferred this to Mr. Belle- j 
ville, then a student, who with a pen very neatly supplied 
the chapters which were wanting. Since the establishment 
of the Seminary, this very volume has come in as a present, 
and may be seen in the library. I found here also several 
books of Latin theology, but all much injured. Among 
them was Chemnitius's Examen Qoncilii Tridentini, from 
which I derived my first accurate knowledge of the Komisb j 
tenets. 

The Eev. William Kobinson, already mentioned as the j 
first preacher in the Caldwell Settlement, came from the 
Presbytery of New Brunswick. He formed the purpose of 
visiting all the scattered Presbyterians in Virginia and North 
Carolina, and as many others as might be willing to hear. 
When he first arrived in these parts great joy was felt by 



AUSTIN. 



159 



the pious settlers. A stanc^ or tent (for both names were 
used), was made ready, and notice was sent round in all 
directions that a preacher had come from the North. 
"Among others one Austin, a half-breed Indian, was called 
upon. This man was notorious for violence of temper, a 
quarrelsome disposition, and shocking profaneness. His wife 
expressed some desire to go to the meeting, which he swore 
she should not do. But he nevertheless went himself, and 
not intending to hear any thing lay down on some leaves, 
near the outskirts of the large congregation. Here he was 
apparently slumbering, when the preacher announced his 
text, c Awake thou that sleepest ! ' The words conveyed a 
; barbed arrow to Austin's conscience. In a moment he 
started to his feet, and fixed his eyes on the speaker, gradu- 
ally advancing towards the stand, until towards the close of 
j the discourse he was standing near Mr. Bobinson's feet, 
gazing into his face, while streams of tears ran down his 
tawny cheeks. After sermon he returned home in silence. 
He appeared to be in great agony of mind, so that his wife 
was in excessive terror. At night, instead of going early to 
q bed, as was his custom, he walked to and fro before his 
house until midnight ; when unable any longer to conceal 
his distress, he came into the house, and declared that he 
: was an undone sinner, and that he had heard that day 
: things which had never come to his ears before. For a day 
] or two this distress continued, and then he obtained relief 
by as clear views of the G-ospel as he had previously had of 
the Law. This profane and violent man was become as 
meek as a lamb. To this account I received some additions 



160 



BAPTIST COUNCIL, 



from old Mrs. Morton, of Little Eoanoke Bridge, who said 
she had often conversed with Mr. Davies, Dr. Waddel, Dr. 
Smith, and many other eminent ministers, but with none 
from whom she received so much edification as from Austin. 
When persons were in distress about their salvation, it was 
common to send for him ; and in one case he had been sum- 
moned to go thirty miles into Lunenburg." 

These journeys of Gospel service were not without their 
crosses. Mr. Alexander speaks of preaching at Tomahawk 
in Pittsylvania, while racked with toothache, and then riding 
seventeen miles in the rain, without an umbrella. At this 
time he had apppointments to preach almost every day for 
many weeks. In some places the avidity of the people to 
hear the Word was such, that he speaks of having preached 
" night and day for a good part of a week." He penetrated 
into Henry County, preaching on his way at Leatherwood, 
in the house where Patrick Henry lived several years after 
leaving Prince Edward. In his later years Dr. Alexandei 
used to relate with much animation his meeting, in this 
county, with several pious but illiterate Baptist preachers, by 
whom he was very cordially received. They marvelled at 
the pocket Greek Testament in which he read, and invited 
him to a council of ministers. " The affair, however, was not 
ready for the trial, and Father Anthony, the pastor, went 
round to the clergy present, offering each one his small Bible, 
to go up into the pulpit and preach ; but all refused. Upon 
vhich the old gentleman said, ' Brethren, if none of you will 
consent, I will preach myself, and my text shall be concern- 
ing that wicked and slothful servant who would not do his 



SMITH S RIVER. 



161 



Lord's work. I know why you are all unwilling ; it is be- 
cause so few are out. But I tell you there are more here 
than you will be able to convert, The best sermon I ever 
preached was to two persons ; and by the blessing of God 
they were both converted/ After this pithy little concio ad 
clerum, he approached one of thera, saying, c Brother Hall, 
preach ; ' and the other without a word of excuse ascended 
the pulpit, and gave us a very passable sermon." 

The country into which his mission now took him is emi- 
nently picturesque. " Smith's River/' to use his own words, 
" rises in the Blue Ridge, and its head spring is very near 
the head spring of New River, which falls into the Ohio, as 
Smith's does into the Roanoke. The mountain range at this 
place sinks low, and is cultivated on both sides nearly to the 
top. On the eastern side there is a beautiful cove of table- 
land, where a number of mountain streams come together 
and form Smith's River. The soil along these waters is ex- 
ceedingly fertile, and the land lying low and sheltered on all 
sides by mountains, enjoys a very temperate climate in winter. 
Except over the Blue Ridge, there is but one way into the 
settlement which is practicable for wheels, and this winds so 
much that for twelve or thirteen miles there were no habita- 
tions on the road. Along this way I entered from old Mrs. 
Houston's, where I had lodged. The leading man in this 
settlement was one Squire Pilson. He had been a Presby- 
terian elder for eighteen years, without knowing any thing 
experimentally of religion, until Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Turner, 
from Bedford, made a preaching visit to this sequestered 
f*|H>t. He was then remarkably converted. He took every 
11 



162 



A MOUNTAIN NOOK. 



opportunity of making religious addresses to his neighbours, 
and was always greatly rejoiced to see any minister arrive, 
hoping that a blessing would attend his labours. Books were 
rare in this nook of the mountains. He had fallen upon 
Gregory's Legacy to his Daughter, and invited some of his 
neighbours to come to his house and hear it read. This 
meeting took place the day after my arrival. He read the 
book through, and in so doing shed many tears." 

Dr. Alexander was often heard to describe the odd ap- 
pearance of the women in this out-of-the-way place. Having 
little intercourse wdth the rest of the world, they cut their 
dresses after the exact pattern which their grandmothers 
brought with them. Mr. Pilson had been with his wagon to 
Petersburg, and had brought his daughter a beautiful piece 
of changeable silk. This she made up after the fashion 
aforesaid, with cuffs upon cuffs, reaching almost to the 
ground, a stomacher broad at the top and tapering down- 
ward to a point, with ribbons crossing each other very elabo- 
rately. 

Among these secluded people he preached a number of 
times. But even here there were religious animosities, which 
operated as hinderances to the truth. One of the principal 
men was a bigoted opponent of Watts' s Psalms. He had 
gone to hear the Keverend William Calhoon, and had con- 
tended with him on this subject ; so that when the next 
itinerant missionary came, he would not go to hear him. 
From Smith's Eiver Mr. Alexander went into Franklin 
County, where there was a small place of worship, called, it 
is believed, Wood's Meeting-House. But as he had now 



FAMILY WORSHIP. 



163 



traversed all the counties included in his commission, and 
as the Virginia Synod was soon to meet, he prepared to go 
homeward. Mr. Calhoon, afterwards a connection by mar- 
riage, here became his companion. They crossed the Blue 
Eidge at one of its lowest passes. The record of these 
events takes notice of a mountain spring of uncommon 
beauty. " It boiled up in the midst of clear white sand, 
which it threw up in a jet, and covered a considerable circu- 
lar space. The outlet was like a mill-tail, and within less 
than two hundred yards of the fountain, two mills were 
turned by the water/' The travellers were very desirous to 
overtake Mr. Matthew Lyle, who, as they learned, was be- 
fore them ; they therefore pushed on to Fincastle. Here 
they met with an experience which is not without its in- 
struction. 

" We put up at the principal inn, and the people ap- 
peared civil enough, and the house was quiet ; but we were 
scarcely seated before a great company of gentlefolks arrived 
from the Sweet Springs. The house was soon full of noise 
and confusion ; for these persons affirmed that they had 
that day crossed no less than seven mountains ; they were 
accordingly fatigued, hungry, and out of humour. In those 
days it was customary for the preachers in Virginia to have 
worship wherever they stopped for the night. On this occa- 
sion I was in favour of dispensing with the service, as we 
could hear the noise and profaneness of the new-comers. 
But Mr. Calhoon, always one of the most conscientious men, 
insisted that we should do our duty, and inquired of the 
host whether he would have any objection to our holding 



164 



INNKEEPERS. 



family worship with kirn and his guests. But no sooner was 
it mentioned to the visitors than the whole house was in 
uproar : some calling for candles, and some for slippers, till 
the whole of a large company of gentlemen scampered off to 
bed. to escape the infliction of a prayer. The tavern-keeper, 
however, brought in his wife, and Mr. Calhoon, who offi- 
ciated, vociferated so loudly, that no one in any part of the 
building, or of the neighbouring houses, could fail to hear 
him. I felt uncomfortable, and was led to think that this 
method of forcing prayers on irreligious people could do no 
good/ 3 

The analogy of the subject leads us here to introduce a 
couple of anecdotes, which he used to tell with much enjoy- 
ment ; we are able to give almost his very words, but the 
charm of his narrative must be supplied by those who re- 
member the humorous vivacity of his manner. " In tra- 
velling to the north," said he. " I lodged in a large and 
pleasant public-house at Elkton. There was no company, 
and the host appeared serious and intelligent. We con- 
versed all the evening on the subject of religion. I did not 
tell him that I was a clergyman, but supposed that he would 
infer it. When it drew near bed-time, I said to him, in as 
gentle a manner as possible, 'Have you any objection to 
having prayers in your house ? ' He was much confused, 
and after stammering a little, replied, ' You must excuse 
me — you must excuse me ; I live here in a public way — but 
I hope I do not forget the proper reflections when I lie down 
at night/ I was astonished, both at his refusal and his 
reasons ; and it was not until I was in bed that the true 



PRAYER IN A TAVERN'. 



165 



state of the case flashed upon my mind. Kecalling the form 
of my request, I perceived that he thought I was asking him 
to officiate in family worship. When I went to the bar to 
pay my reckoning, he was reserved and distant ; no doubt 
thinking me an impudent fellow, who wanted to set him 
a-praying in his own tavern/' 

The other story is a kindred one. " Once when I was 
going/' said he, "from the Northern Neck to Eichmond, 
the sun went down as I approached a tavern well known as 
the Piping Tree. Finding no company, and seeing many 
servants about the house, I felt it to be a duty to ask the 
privilege of praying in the family. The innkeeper was 
quite an old man, of hoary head, and yet as thoughtless of 
religion as a child. He said he belonged to the old English 
church ; but that it had now gone down. He spoke of 
abundance of Baptists and Methodists in the neighbour- 
hood ; and against the latter his feelings were much aroused. 
I requested him to call in his family, saying I should like to 
pray with them. c Bless you/ said he, ' I have no family ; 
I have had the misfortune to have two wives, and have lost 
them both/ I replied that there were numerous servants, 
and that their souls were precious. ' To be sure — to be 
sure ! ' said he, and began to call in one and another, so that 
the room was soon pretty well filled. I said something to 
them, and offered a prayer. A large, fine-looking black 
man remained to take my boots and show me to bed. But 
before we left the room my host approached the negro with 
a threatening countenance, and began to berate him for 
being a Methodist. 6 There/ said he, 6 there now's a prayer 



166 



CLOSE OF MISSION. 



for you ! Did you ever hear a Methodist make a prayer 
like that ? No, you black fool, you never did — you never 
did/ I was really afraid he would make an assault on my 
poor attendant, who however got off with me to my cham- 
ber, where I talked with him, and found him to all appear- 
ance an humble, pious man/' 

Returning to our narrative we have to record, that the 
next day they joined Mr. Lyle, and went to the house of the 
Eev. Edward Crawford, the only Presbyterian minister in 
Botetourt County. He was a native of the Valley, and a 
graduate of Princeton, in the year 1775. Thence they went 
to the Pastures, to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, in 
the church of the Eev. John Montgomery. This good man 
had a gift of pleasing eloquence, and was settled in a field 
of much extent, where, however, he seems to have had small 
success. This was the last stage of our young missionary 
before reaching his native place, where he arrived with 
greatly improved health, after a tour of six months, in 
which he had visited the counties of Amherst, Eockingham, 
Prince Edward, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Amelia, 
Dinwiddie, Prince George, Mecklenburg, Halifax, Pittsylva- 
nia, Patrick, Henry, Franklin, and Botetourt, in Virginia, 
and of Granville, "Wake, and some others in North Carolina. 
After making his report to the Commission of Synod, he 
was directed to return at once to Lunenburg and Nottoway, 
with permission to spend a few weeks in Prince Edward. 
On arriving in Nottoway he found the appearances less 
favourable than on the previous visit. After passing a few 
weeks there, he therefore proceeded again along his former 



PASTORAL SETTLEMENT, 



167 



track, with events very similar to those which have been 
recited. 

It has been already stated that the Eev. John Blair 
Smith had accepted a call to Philadelphia. Upon this the 
congregations of Briery and Cumberland, together with the 
Trustees of Hampden Sidney College, invited Mr. Graham 
to take charge of both the college and churches. The call 
was unsuccessful, and the attention of the people was at 
once turned to Mr. Alexander. All the Presbyterian con- 
gregations in that part of the county were vacant, namely, 
Cumberland, including the College, Briery, Buffalo, and Cub 
Creek, including Charlotte Court House. Mr. Lacy was a 
regular supply for the two first named. After consultation 
it was determined that all these churches should unite in 
calling two ministers, who should serve them in rotation. 
The number of preaching places was six, and the persons 
designated were Mr. Lacy and Mr. Alexander, who both 
signified their acceptance. They immediately entered on 
their laborious circuit, the field being not less than sixty 
miles in length and thirty in breadth, distances which they 
were to traverse on horseback. 

Although Mr. Alexander was induced to take a pastoral 
charge so early, from a desire to pursue theological study, he 
now found that he must spend most of his days in the saddle. 
The plan was moreover found to be unsatisfactory to the 
people, who were too far removed from their pastors. It 
was therefore agreed that a division of the parochial diocese 
should take place ; in pursuance of which, Mr. Alexander 
received for his share the churches of Briery and Cub Creek. 



168 



MRS. LEGRAND. 



His residence was in the county of Charlotte, at the house 
of Major Edmund Read. And by a remarkable coincidence, 
one of his sons, when first settled in the ministry, dwelt in 
the same house thirty years afterwards, and enjoyed the 
hospitality of the same Christian lady, Paulina LeGrand. 
formerly Mrs. Read. Here, at the mansion still known as Re- 
tirement, about two miles from the Court House, Mr. Alexan- 
der resided three or four years. The lofty oaks under which he 
walked and sat still remain, among the noblest of their kind, 
and when we last saw the place, a small separate house 
used by him as a study, was yet standing. 

Mrs. Read, afterwards Mrs. LeGrand, was widely known 
and honoured among Christians of every name in Virginia. 
It is probable that no house in the land ever opened its 
doors to more ministers of the Gospel. A whole Presbytery 
was sometimes sheltered under her roof. Her wealth was 
largely dispensed in acts of charity. Though of a desponding 
turn as to her own spiritual state, she was perpetually occu- 
pied with religious thoughts and employments, and was a 
devoted hearer of the word. Having been recently brought 
to the knowledge of evangelical truth, she was at this time 
full of zeal, and unwearied in her endeavours to second all 
Gospel labours. Her recollections of Mr. Alexander and his 
youthful ministry were lively and affectionate. She loved to 
expatiate on his ardent piety and acceptable preaching. 
From her representations, it would appear that at this period 
of his life, he was burning with desire to save the souls of 
men, and frequent in his personal addresses to all who were 
a : -sible on this all-imp >rtant subject. While in her house, 



PASTORAL CARES. 



169 



he redeemed much time for study, and though his discourses 
were extemporaneous, he sometimes wrote them out with 
much care after delivery. We have seen in the hands of 
Mrs. LeGrand, a manuscript volume containing nine sermons, 
thus written in a fair and beautiful hand. They were re- 
markable for the same simple perspicuity which characterized 
whatever proceeded from his pen. This volume, after some 
effort, we have not been able to recover, though we have a 
few scattered discourses of the same period. The elate of 
his ordination and installation was May 5, 1795. 

Some of the anxieties of a young pastor, overburdened 
by the greatness of an unaccustomed charge, may be dis- 
covered in the following narrative. " As the chief reason 
for the division just mentioned was the desire expressed 
by many, that they might have pastoral visits, and an 
opportunity of knowing their minister, I determined to begin 
a regular course of this kind. I accordingly went to Col. 
Charles Allen, the elder who lived furthest east, and gained 
his consent to go with me through that section of the congre- 
gation, beginning with old Mr. Bedd's, on Bush Biver, as 
the remotest house. We arrived pretty early in the day. 
The old gentleman was out in a distant part of his estate, 
where the hands were clearing ground, but was sent for by 
his wife. Although we told her that we came not to dine, 
she gave no heed, but set all around her in motion to pre- 
pare viands. The chickens were chased in all directions, fires 
were kindled, closets were searched, and I soon found that 
we should scarcely be able to get away. After some time, 
the old gentleman came in ; but before he could be seen he 



170 



A FAMILY VISIT. 



must shave his beard and put on some clean clothes. We 
now repeated our wish to see the family collected, but the 
mistress and her maids were now in the act of preparing a 
fat turkey for the spit. For hours we had none to converse 
with but the master of the house, and conversation with 
this old tobacco planter was not easy. He seemed like one 
sitting on nettles. I informed him of the object of our 
visit. — c Very good. — Very glad to see the parson. — Live so 
far from church that I can seldom get there/ At length he 
thought he would use his privilege of asking a question. 
And that which he propounded was about the meaning of 
that passage, where it is said that seven women should take 
hold of one man. I was obliged to tell him that I did not 
know, intimating that the knowledge of this was not essen- 
tial to salvation. c Very true/ said he ; e but I have thought 
it might refer to our times, when so many men have been 
killed in the French Revolution, and in the consequent 
wars/ Late in the day the table was spread with an enor- 
mous dinner. By the time this was concluded, a thunder- 
storm burst over us, and detained us until near sunset. 
Thus a whole day was wasted in visiting one family, and that 
without the least benefit. I found that among a people so 
widely scattered, and unaccustomed to such a thing, no 
progress could be made in this way. I adopted the method 
of preaching in different parts of the bounds, in private 
houses. But here a mischievous custom existed. After 
worship was over, as many as thirty persons would some- 
times stay to dine. This was by invitation of the family, 
and to some must have been a heavy tax. But the old 



STUDY OF SERMONS. 



171 



Virginians never count the cost of dinners, even when they 
give very little for the support of the Gospel/' 

The habits of preaching which marked the whole minis- 
terial life of Dr. Alexander were formed during this period ; 
and he may be considered the best witness as to his own 
methods. "While itinerating/' says he, "I studied my 
sermons in my mind ; and seldom preached without intense 
application of my thoughts to the subject beforehand. Texts 
of Scripture would often open to my view, and these I would 
seize upon for discourses. The necessity of thus composing 
in the evening and morning where I lodged, or as I rode 
along the way, proved a good discipline, as it accustomed 
me to close thinking and to going over and over the same 
train of thought. I was, however, often greatly disappointed 
and mortified ; for when I had great freedom in premeditation 
I naturally expected the same in preaching. But this was 
sometimes far from being the case. On some occasions a 
text would strike my mind shortly before speaking, accom- 
panied with a strong aversion to the subject proposed. I 
commonly ventured on the new topic, and in such cases 
almost always had better success than usual. Not unfre- 
quently, while I was preaching, my subject would present 
itself in new lights, much more favourable than preceding 
ones, so that I have often changed my whole plan of treat- 
ment. Though the thought was often suggested to me, 
6 that is very good/ yet when I was done I was greatly hum- 
bled, and sometimes so discouraged as to feel as if I could 
never venture into the pulpit again. I have commonly felt 
that the people who admired my preaching were deceived/' 



172 



MANNER OF PREACHING. 



From following a premeditated train of thought, he fell 
into a habit of fixing his eyes on the floor, which was a 
great hinderance. In later years no man conld be more free 
from any such fault ; as all his hearers will remember the 
piercing look with which he was accustomed to single out 
individuals in the congregation. In reference to this early 
period, he describes his own preaching as occupied much with 
Christian experience. When his text was figurative, he 
usually carried the imagery through the whole discourse. 
He allowed himself a license of accommodation which his 
later judgment disapproved. The parables were favourite 
themes. The excessive rapidity of his utterance sometimes 
exhausted his natural fervour before he had arrived at the 
application. But while he speaks thus humbly of his own 
performances, it is certain from the testimony of others, that 
his popularity was unbounded, and that he already ranked 
in public estimation among the first preachers in the country. 

In his manuscript record he turns aside from time to 
time to speak of his private friends', some of whom were 
eminent in the church. Among these a place is justly given 
to the Kev. Samuel Brown, who was now one of his fellow- 
labourers. Mr. Brown was a native of Bedford, and a sub- 
ject of the revival already mentioned. "He began his 
classical course after he was grown, and was hurried in his 
studies. But his original mind was constantly employed in 
thinking out difficult points in theology ; so that by the 
time he was through his course he was in many respects a 
profound theologian. His religion was of the best kind ; 
deep, lively, and Scriptural. He became early attached tc 



SAMUEL BROWN. 



173 



the writings of President Edwards ; and this both encouraged 
and directed him in his investigations. Indeed he always ap- 
peared to me to have a mind much like that of Edwards ; not 
remarkable for quickness, but profound and sure, and free 
from the aberrations to which men of greater vivacity are 
subject. Whatever he read seemed to be merely the occa- 
sion of opening new trains of thought to his own mind. 
He possessed great ardour and generosity, and was suscepti- 
ble of the strongest attachments of friendship ; indeed all 
his affections were of uncommon vigour. If he had possessed 
advantages of person and voice, he would have exceeded as 
a preacher all that I ever heard. Though he had a fine eye, 
deeply sunk in its orbit, and much benignity of countenance, 
his face was plain, with a slight distortion of the mouth, and 
a certain efflorescence over the cheek bones which was un- 
sightly. Nevertheless he was a clear, original, powerful and 
often eloquent preacher. Even his voice became forcible and 
penetrating, when toned by strong feeling ; and he succeeded 
in communicating to his hearers the elevation of his senti- 
ments and the benevolence of his feelings. Sometimes, in- 
deed, when his mind was not roused, his preaching was indif- 
ferent ; but on occasions which called forth his powers, or 
when his pious feelings were in lively exercise, his perform- 
ances were certainly among the best I ever heard. He 
excelled in apt illustration, and was thus able to render 
abstract truth plain to men of common minds. 

"Mr. Brown accepted a call to the church of New 
Providence, west of the Blue Bidge. He had a turn for 
business, both mechanical and agricultural, and finding his 



174 



SAMUEL BROWN. 



family increasing around him he devoted himself with much 
ardour to secular pursuits ; so that for some years his im- 
provement was not equal to what might have been expected 
from his talents. As far as is known to me he never pub- 
lished any thing. His most elaborate trains of thought 
were studied without a word being committed to paper. 
Mr. Brown felt a deep interest in all that related to the 
welfare of his country, and therefore, without being a politi- 
cian, entered warmly into those views which he believed to 
be dictated by sound policy. He patronized with zeal the 
College of Washington, of which he was a trustee at the 
time of his death. 

The close of this good man's life was somewhat 
remarkable. He had sold the farm on which he first set- 
tled, and bought another, larger and better situated, on 
which he was engaged in erecting a commodious dwelling- 
house. As he was dextrous in the use of tools, he often put 
to his hand to help forward the work. One day. some ex- 
ertion being required to remove some timbers, be turned 
in. and while thus engaged suddenly complained of being 
sick, sunk down, and expired in a few minutes, in the 
very prime of life. His successor, the Eev. Mr. Morrison, 
married his only daughter. Five of his sons are now minis- 
ters of the Gospel, and the sixth has received a liberal 
education, and is I believe a communicant in the church." 

The connection of Mr. Alexander with a number of con- 
gregations, sometimes as a temporary supply and sometimes 
as pastor, leads to so much confusion, that we prefer to 
throw together the several dates, as collected by the Rev 



HOUSTON THE SHAKER. 



175 



Dr. Foote. It appears, then, that he presented his testimo- 
nials to the Presbytery of Hanover, November 8, 1793, at 
which time he received calls to become collegiate pastor with 
Mr. Lacy of Cumberland, Briery, Buffalo and Cub Creek ; 
which calls he did not accept. On October 22, 1794, he 
received calls from Cub Creek and Briery. He was ordained 
at Briery. June 7, 1794, and was dismissed from Cub Creek, 
April 11, 1797, and from Briery, November 16, 1798. He 
took his seat as President, May 31, 1797. 

Being now established in a charge, It was natural for him 
to desire that some of his early associates should be near 
him. After a disappointment in regard to Mr, Brown's set- 
tling in Mecklenburg, he turned his attention to Mr. 
Matthew Houston, as a friend remarkable for his free and 
pleasant temper. Houston had been a student at the 
Liberty Hall Academy. He was frequently under religious 
concern, and amidst impressions received during the revival 
made a profession of his faith, though without pungent 
convictions or any strongly marked exercises. He had a 
vein of wit, and fell into levities which attracted attention. 
With moderate talents, but warm feelings, he spoke with 
fluency and acceptance. Houston received an appointment 
to be a missionary for six months in Mecklenburg. But his 
frivolity alienated the more serious of his people, and his 
animated and shallow preaching had little effect. He re- 
moved to Kentucky, where he became popular. About the 
year 1800, a great awakening spread like wildfire through 
Kentucky, and Houston being a combustible material was 
soon ignited. His mind became bewildered and deeply in- 



176 



PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE. 



fected with the prevalent enthusiasm ; until, in 1801, he 
and his wife and a number of his people were so infatuated as 
to join the people called Shakers. Both church and congre- 
gation were hereby broken up. At first a society of these 
fanatics was formed in the immediate neighbourhood ; but 
they all soon removed to Ohio, where for many years he was 
the presiding elder at Lebanon. When he was just seventy 
years of age, he sent to Dr. Alexander, then of Princeton, a 
copy of the Shaker Testimony, accompanied with a short 
note, in which he declared that since uniting with this 
people, he had enjoyed uninterrupted happiness. Of his 
subsequent history nothing is known. 

In the occasional retirement of his rural study, the 
young pastor endeavoured to make up for lost hours. Most 
of the books which he had read up to this time, were either 
borrowed or picked up at the places where he lodged ; but 
their rarity led him to devour rather than to peruse them. 
Sometimes he found in unexpected places scarce volumes, 
which he continued to read while he was in those neighbour- 
hoods. This pursuit of knowledge under difficulties left its 
mark on his mind. We remember to have heard him recite 
events from the History of the Arabians, which he had not 
opened for sixty years. At the house of an old German on 
James Eiver, he first met with Stillingfleet's Irenicam, 
which he read with great avidity, and with a valuable acces- 
sion to his knowledge on controverted points in church 
polity. The main principles of that work he retained through 
life as his own ; though the distinguished author is said to 
have abandoned them. Though he preached in three large 



BENEWED STUDIES. 



177 



counties, he continued to redeem some time for study, and 
laid out a small sum for books. Among these early pur- 
chases, he mentions the works of Eeid and Stewart, so far 
as then published. 

He was further stimulated to laborious investigation by the 
alarming prevalence of infidelity in his native State. Paine' s 
Age of Eeason was widely circulated and much read by the 
young men of the country. " Indeed/' says he, " most of 
our educated and professional young men became Deists, or 
worse. Young lawyers openly reviled religion, and boldly 
attacked its serious professors. Many of those who enter- 
tained such opinions occasionally attended public worship ; 
and in these circumstances it was needful to study the evi- 
dences of Christianity with care. My mind was so occupied 
with the subject, that I often preached on it. My trial- 
sermon for ordination was entirely on this topic ; the text 
being John xvii. 17, 1 Thy Word is Truth/ I also undertook 
an answer to Paine ; but his Second Part was soon pub- 
lished, and then Watson's Apology, which I considered far 
better than any thing I could produce. Murray's Evidences 
appeared to me popular and convincing ; but I have since 
never seen a copy." 

" It was perhaps an advantage to me that my collection 
of books was small, and that my attention was devoted to 
few subjects. On a copy of the British Encyclopedia I seized 
with much avidity, and thus learned something about the 
progress of the Sciences. My thirst for knowledge was always 
great, and its pursuit was never a weariness to me." It 
is not improper to add, that throughout his whole life he 

12 



178 



THE ALLBNS. 



retained a lively interest in mathematical and physical in- 
vestigation ; delighting in the severe methods of the old 
geometry, and keeping himself acquainted with the course 
of discovery to an extent which was surprising to all around 
him. 

As these pages, if read at all, will be read by persons 
living in the very region where the scenes here described are 
laid, we have thought it expedient to introduce notices of 
families and individuals who were active in the promotion 
of religion, and who " addicted themselves unto the ministry 
of the saints." Among other good results it will serve to 
show how extensively the blessings of grace continued to 
descend in the lineage of the righteous. The large and 
Christian connection of the Venables has been already men- 
tioned. To these we must now add the Aliens. They lived 
chiefly in Cumberland, but also in Prince Edward, and many 
of them were parishioners of Mr. Alexander. The root from 
which they all proceeded was (like various eminent persons 
named in our memoir) a member of Mr. Davies's church in 
Hanover, and was converted, it is thought, under the mis- 
sionary labours of Whitefield. Mr. Alexander heard from 
an eye-witness that while Whitefield was preaching, Mr. 
Allen fell at full length, as suddenly as if shot through the 
heart, and lay for the remainder of the evening as one dead. 
He had four sons. " James, the eldest/' says the manuscript, 
" was one of the most venerable men I ever saw. When I 
came to the country he was above seventy years of age, and 
lived alone. He was more than six feet in height, slender 
and pale, but of benignant countenance, and with hair white 



THE MORTONS. 



179 



as snow. The most of his time he spent over a large family 
Bible, which lay open before him on a small table, and 
which he often moistened with his tears. His son, also 
named James, was, before his conversion, irascible in the ex- 
treme, and often engaged in broils, being of great muscular 
power. On one occasion he came home in a rage, threaten- 
ing to flog a man who had said that his father was an old 
hypocrite. But the father said meekly, 1 Jemmy, my son, 
be not angry about it ; for I assure you it is the very thing 
I have been suspecting of myself for twenty years/ Besides 
James, he had two sons, Benjamin and Charles, who were 
elders in the Cumberland church, while I was minister there, 
as was also their uncle Benjamin Allen. His brother Daniel 
was the father of the Eev. Cary Allen. James Allen, the 
younger, died by the slow torture of a cancer, which began 
in the middle of the lower lip. But though naturally a 
man of strong passions and unquiet temper, he was now as 
patient as a lamb, and edified all who came to see him by 
his heavenly conversation/' 

The particulars which he gives of the Morton family 
afford glimpses of a state of society now existing only on the 
frontiers. The founder of this family, called Little Joe, to 
distinguish him from another of the same name, was a bold 
and enterprising pioneer, a staunch hunter, and employed 
by the Bandolphs and others in exploring the country not 
yet inhabited, in order that they might lay their warrants 
on the good lands and have them surveyed. " I believe that 
all the fine lands on Staunton Biver were first discovered by 
him/' He was skilful in catching wild horses, which 



180 



JOSEPH MORTON. 



abounded in the unsettled parts of the country. They were 
commonly taken in pens, into which they were decoyed ; and 
several streams in that region have hence derived the name 
of Ilorsepen. 

Joseph Morton, with a young wife, built a log cabin near 
Little Boanoke Bridge. Mrs. Morton, when an aged widow, 
informed Mr. Alexander that for several years she had not a 
neighbour nearer than thirty miles, and that during the 
greater part of the time her husband was absent, and she 
and her young children were alone in the forest. Such was 
Morton's knowledge of woodcraft, that he could pursue a 
horse for any distance by means of his tracks, and this even 
if the road was crossed by thousands of other tracks. On 
one occasion he was sent for to follow a horse- thief, which he 
did for more than a hundred miles, and with success, 
although the fugitive had taken all imaginable means of 
concealing his course. This account was given by his son, 
Col. William Morton, a man of undoubted veracity. Joseph 
Morton left his sons possessed of good estates. 

u His character was remarkable in several respects. He 
possessed a most unshaken firmness, and rigidly adhered to 
what appeared to him to be duty. He was brought up an 
Episcopalian ; but the Eev. Mr. Davies, in one of his 
preaching tours, was taken to his house by John Morton, a 
young cousin. Being a rigid Churchman he was reluctant 
to consent, but after some consultation with his wife, he 
agreed that the newlight preacher should come. Mr. Davies, 
by the dignity and suavity of his manners, made such an 
impression on both, that when he departed they accompanied 



JOSEPH MORTON. 



181 



him to Cumberland, to the administration of the sacrament. 
His wife had become deeply concerned from the first evening, 
and was anxious about partaking of the Lord's Supper. But 
she was afraid her husband would not agree to it. She how- 
ever broke the matter to him on Sunday morning. Though 
surprised, lie told her to do as she thought proper. In the 
intermission after the 1 action sermon/ he called out Mr. 
Davies, and told him he wished to join in communion with 
the church. Mr. Davies, after a little conversation, gave 
him a token of admission, and the husband and wife went 
together to the Lord's Table. From this pair sprang a large 
Presbyterian population, spread far and wide through Prince 
Edward and Charlotte counties. Not long after, he and a 
number of others united in building a house of worship at 
Briery ; and in a short time they obtained one half the 
labours of the Bev. Bobert Henry. When there was no 
sermon, Mr. Morton regularly attended, read a discourse, and 
catechised the children. So consistent was his character, 
and so beneficial his influence, that he was a blessing to the 
whole community in which he lived. As a justice of the 
peace, he exerted a salutary influence in suppressing pro- 
fan eness and other immorality. Being visited by one of his 
wealthy correspondents from below, who was exceedingly 
profane, Morton gave him warning, that as a magistrate he 
was bound to put into execution the law against swearing. 
The other disregarded his threats, and was fined accordingly. 
I never saw him, but I have been in no neighbourhood where 
any man had left on the minds of all a stronger impression 
of his integrity and piety. Mrs. Morton lived to the age of 



182 



CHARLOTTE COUNTY. 



ninety-two, and died some time after I was settled in Char 

lotte. She was a very pious woman, whose house was always 
open for ministers and religions people, and for the preaching 
of the Gospel."* 

From John Morton, named above as the guide of Mr. 
Davies, also a numerous progeny descended. Of his sons, 
one of the same name spent his life chiefly in France. The 
eldest, Maj. James Morton, was a revolutionary officer, and 
long an active elder in the church at Prince Edward. The 
Rev. Dr. John H. Eice married his daughter, a lady of 
known Christian excellence, who still survives. 

The County of Charlotte, where Mr. Alexander now 
laboured, is remarkable for having been the residence of two 
very celebrated orators, belonging to two successive periods in 
our national history; we mean Patrick Henry and John 
Randolph of Roanoke. During Mr. Alexander's earliest 
visit, he was invited to accompany his preceptor, Mr. 
Graham, in a visit to Mr. Henry, who then lived in Prince 
Edward, seven or eight miles from the college ; but the 
plan was disappointed by the straying of the horses. Mr. 
Graham went alone, and spent a day with the old patriot, 
to his own great satisfaction ; for they were of one mind 
in politics, both being exceedingly opposed to the Con- 
stitution which had that year been adopted. At a later 

* Josiah, the oldest son, was the father of CoL William Lewis Morton. 
W r illiarn, the second son, was for many years presiding judge of the county 
court of Charlotte. The third was oddly enough named Little Joe. The 
fourth was Col. Jacob Morton. Three of these were ruling elders in the 
Briery church. 



Patrick henry. 



183 



period, however, he was brought into nearer acquaintance 
with Henry's powers. The account of this in his own words, 
as published in 1850, we can by no means omit. 

" From my earliest childhood I had been accustomed to 
hear of the eloquence of Patrick Henry. On this subject 
there existed but one opinion in the country. The power of 
his eloquence was felt equally by the learned and the un- 
learned. Xo man who ever heard him speak, on any import- 
ant occasion, could fail to admit his uncommon power over 
the minds of his hearers. The occasions on which he made 
his greatest efforts have been recorded by Mr. Wirt, in his 
Life of Henry. What I propose in this brief article is to 
mention only what I observed myself more than half a cen- 
tury ago. 

" Being then a young man, just entering on a profession 
in which good speaking was very important, it was natural 
for me to observe the oratory of celebrated men. I was anx- 
ious to ascertain the true secret of their power ; or what it 
was which enabled them to sway the minds of hearers, 
almost at their will. 

" In executing a mission from the Synod of Virginia, in 
the year 1794, I had to pass through the county of Prince 
Edward, where Mr. Henry then resided. Understanding 
that he was to appear before the Circuit Court, which met 
in that county, in defence of three men charged with 
murder, I determined to seize the opportunity of observing 
for myself the eloquence of this extraordinary orator. 

" It was with some difficulty I obtained a seat in front of 
the bar, where I could have a full view of the speaker, as 



184 



PATRICK HENRY. 



well as hear him distinctly. But I had to submit to a 
severe penance in gratifying my curiosity ; for the whole day 
was occupied with the examination of witnesses, in which 
Mr. Henry was aided by two other lawyers. 

" In person, Mr. Henry was lean rather than fleshy. He 
was rather above than below the common height, but had a 
stoop in the shoulders which prevented him from appearing 
as tall as he really was. In his moments of animation, he 
had the habit of straightening his frame, and adding to his 
apparent stature. He wore a brown wig, which exhibited 
no indication of any great care in the dressing. Over his j 7 
shoulders he wore a brown camlet cloak. Under this his - 
clothing was black, something the worse for wear. The ! 
expression of his countenance was that of solemnity and 
deep earnestness. His mind appeared to be always absorbed J 
in what, for the time, occupied his attention. His forehead { 
was high and spacious, and the skin of his face more than J 
usually wrinkled for a man of fifty. His eyes were small - 
and deeply set in his head, but were of a bright blue colour, 
and twinkled much in their sockets. In short, Mr. Henry's " " 
appearance had nothing very remarkable, as he sat at rest. I 
You might readily have taken him for a common planter, 
who cared very little about his personal appearance. In his ij ; 
manners' he was uniformly respectful and courteous. Can- 
dles were brought into the court house, when the examination 
of the witnesses closed ; and the judges put it to the option 
of the bar whether they would go on with the argument 
that night or adjourn until the next day. Paul Carrington, 
jun., the attorney for the state, a man of large size and 



CAPITAL CASE. 



185 



uncommon dignity of person and manner, and also an 
accomplished lawyer, professed his willingness to proceed 
immediately, while the testimony was fresh in the minds of 
all. Now for the first time I heard Mr. Henry make any 
thing of a speech ; and though it was short, it satisfied me 
of one thing, which I had particularly desired to have 
decided ; namely, whether like a player he merely assumed 
the appearance of feeling. His manner of addressing the 
court was profoundly respectful. He would be willing to pro- 
ceed with the trial, but, said he, c My heart is so oppressed 
with the weight of responsibility which rests upon me, 
having the lives of three fellow citizens depending, probably, 
on the exertions which I may be able to make in their behalf, 
(here he turned to the prisoners behind him,) that I do not 
feel able to proceed to-night. I hope the court will indulge 
me, and postpone the trial till the morning/ The impres- 
sion made by these few words was such as I assure myself 
no one can ever conceive by seeing them in print. In the 
countenance, action and intonation of the speaker, there 
was expressed such an intensity of feeling that all my 
doubts were dispelled ; never again did I question whether 
Henry felt, or only acted a feeling. Indeed, I experienced 
an instantaneous sympathy with him in the emotions which 
he expressed ; and I have no doubt the same sympathy was 
felt by every hearer. 

u As a matter of course the proceedings were deferred 
till the next morning. I was early at my post ; the judges 
were soon on the bench, and the prisoners at the bar. Mr. 
Carrington, afterwards Judge Carrington, opened with a 



186 



PATRICK HENRY. 



clear and dignified speech, and presented the evidence to the 
jury. Every thing seemed perfectly plain. Two brothers 
and a brother-in-law met two other persons in pursuit of a 
slave, supposed to be harboured by the brothers. After some 
altercation and mutual abuse, one of the brothers, whose 
name was J ohn Ford, raised a loaded gun which he was car- 
rying, and presenting it to the breast of one of the other 
pair, shot him dead, in open day. There was no doubt about < 
the fact. Indeed, it was not denied. There had been no 
other provocation than opprobrious words. It is presumed 
that the opinion of every juror was made up from merely 
hearing the testimony ; as Tom Harvey, the principal wit- 
ness, who was acting as constable on the occasion, appeared 
to be a respectable man. For the clearer understanding of 
what follows, it must be observed that said constable, in 
order to distinguish him from another of the name, was \ 
commonly called c Butterwood Harvey ; 9 as he lived on But- 
terwood Creek. 

" Mr. Henry, it is believed, understanding that the people 
were on their guard against his faculty of moving the passions 
and through them influencing the judgment, did not resort 
to the pathetic, as much as was his usual practice in criminal 
cases. His main object appeared to be, throughout, to cast 
discredit on the testimony of Tom Harvey. This he at- 
tempted by causing the law respecting riots to be read by 
one of his assistants. It appeared in evidence, that Tom 
Harvey had taken upon him to act as constable, without 
being in commission ; and that with a posse of men he had 
entered the house of one of the Fords in search of the negro, 



CAPITAL CASE. 



187 



and had put Mrs. Ford, in her husband's absence, into a 
great terror, while she was in a very delicate condition, near 
the time of her confinement. 

" As he descanted on the evidence, he would often turn to 
Tom Harvey — a large bold-looking man — and with the most 
sarcastic look would call him by some name of contempt ; 
'this Butterwood Tom Harvey/ 'this would-be-constaH-ef 
&c. By such expressions, his contempt for the man was 
communicated to the hearers. I own I felt it gaining on 
me, in spite of my better judgment ; so that before he was 
done, the impression was strong on my mind that Butter- 
wood Harvey was undeserving of the smallest credit. This 
impression, however, I found I could counteract the moment 
I had time for reflection. The only part of the speech in 
which he manifested his power of touching the feelings 
strongly, was where he dwelt on the irruption of the com- 
pany into Ford's house, in circumstances so perilous to the 
solitary wife. This appeal to the sensibility of husbands — 
and he knew that all the jury stood in this relation — was 
overwhelming. If the verdict could have been rendered im- 
mediately after this burst of the pathetic, every man, at 
least every husband in the house, would have been for re- 
jecting Harvey's testimony ; if not for hanging him forth- 
with. It was fortunate that the illusion of such eloquence 
is transient, and is soon dissipated by the exercise of sober 
reason. I confess, however, that nothing which I then heard 
so convinced me of the advocate's power, as the speech of five 
minutes, which he made when he requested that the trial 
might be adjourned till the next day. 



188 



JOHN RANDOLPH. 



" In addition to this, it so happened that I heard the last 
public speech which Mr. Henry ever made. It was delivered 
at, Charlotte, from the portico of the court-house, to an as- 
sembly in the open air. In the American edition of the 
New Edinburgh Encyclopedia an account of this speech 
and its effects is given, so charged with exaggeration as to 
be grossly incorrect. There is more truth in the statements 
contained in Mr. Wirt's memoir. In point of fact, the per- 
formance had little impression beyond the transient pleasure 
afforded to the friends of the administration, and the pain 
inflicted on the Anti-federalists, his former political friends. 
Mr. Henry came to the place with difficulty, and was plainly 
destitute of his wonted vigour and commanding power. The 
speech was nevertheless a noble effort, such as could have 
proceeded from none but a patriotic heart. In the course of 
his remarks, Mr. Henry (as is correctly stated by Mr. Wirt) 
after speaking of Washington at the head of a numerous and 
well appointed army, exclaimed, 6 And where is the citizen of 
America who will dare to lift his hand against the father of \ 
his country, to point a weapon at the breast of the man who 
had so often led them to battle and victory ? ' An intoxica- 
ted man cried, ' I could/ c No/ answered Mr. Henry, rising 
aloft in all his majesty, and in a voice most solemn and pen- 
etrating, 6 No ; you durst not do it ; in such a parricidal 
attempt, the steel would drop from your nerveless arm ! ' 

" Mr. Henry was followed by a speaker afterwards noted 
in our national history ; I mean John Kandolph of Eoanoke ; 
but the aged orator did not remain to witness the debut of 
his young opponent. Eandolph began by saying that he had 



HENRY AND "RANDOLPH. 



189 



admired that man more than any on whom the sun had shone, 
but that now he was constrained to differ from him toto coelo. 
But Randolph was suffering with the hoarseness of a cold, 
and could scarcely utter an audible sentence. All that is 
alleged in the Encyclopedia, about Henry's returning to the 
platform and replying with extraordinary effect, is pure fabri- 
cation. The fact is as above stated. Henry retired to the 
house, as if unwilling to listen, and requested a friend to re- 
port to him any thing which might require an answer. But 
he made no reply, nor did he again present himself to the 
people. I was amidst the crowd, standing near to Creed 
Taylor, then an eminent lawyer, and afterwards a judge ; 
who made remarks to those around him, during the speech, 
declaring among other things that the old man was in his 
dotage. It is much to be regretted that a statement so 
untrue should be perpetuated in a work of such value and 
celebrity. 

" Patrick Henry had several sisters, with one of whom, 
the wife of Colonel Meredith of New Glasgow, I was ac- 
quainted. Mrs. Meredith was not only a woman of unfeigned 
piety, but was in my judgment as eloquent as her brother ; 
nor have I ever met with a lady who equalled her in powers 
of conversation. 

" At an early period of my ministry, it became my duty 
to preach the funeral sermon of Mr. J ames Hunt, the father 
of the late Bev. James Hunt, of Montgomery County, Mary- 
land. The death occurred at the house of a son who lived 
on Staunton Biver : Mr. Henry's residence, Red Hill, was a 
few miles distant, on the same river. Having been long a 



190 



henry's eloquence. 



friend of the deceased, Mr. Henry attended the funeral, and 
remained to dine with the company ; on which occasion I 
was introduced to him by Captain William Craighead, who 
had been an elder in President Davies's church. These gen- 
tlemen had been friends in Hanover, but had not met for 
many years. The two old gentlemen met with great cor- 
diality, and seemed to have high enjoyment in talking of old 
times. 

" On the retrospect of so many years I may be permitted 
to express my views of the extraordinary effects of Henry's 
eloquence. The remark is obvious, in application not only 
to him but to all great orators, that we cannot ascribe these 
effects merely to their intellectual conceptions, or their cogent 
reasonings, however great : these conceptions and reasons, 
when put on paper, often fall dead. They are often inferior 
to the arguments of men whose utterances have little impres- 
sion. It has indeed been often said, both of Whitefield and 
of Henry, that their discourses, when reduced to writing, 
show poorly by the side of the productions of men who are 
no orators. Let me illustrate this, by the testimony of one 
whom I remember as a friend of my youth. General Posey 
was a revolutionary officer, who was second in command, un- 
der Wayne, in the expedition against the Indians ; a man of 
observation and cool judgment. He was in attendance on 
the debates of that famous convention in which there were 
so many displays of deliberative eloquence. He assured me, 
that after the hearing of Patrick Henry's most celebrated 
speech in that body, he felt himself as fully persuaded that 
the Constitution if adopted would be our ruin, as of his own 



henry's eloquence. 



191 



existence. Yet subsequent reflection restored his former 
judgment, and his well considered opinion resumed its place. 

" The power of Henry's eloquence was due, first, to the 
greatness of his emotion and passion, accompanied with a 
versatility which enabled him to assume at once any emotion 
or passion which was suited to his ends. Not less indispen- 
sable, secondly, was a matchless perfection of the organs of 
expression, including the entire apparatus of voice, intona- 
tion, pause, gesture, attitude, and indescribable play of coun- 
tenance. In no instance did he ever indulge in an expres- 
sion that was not instantly recognised as nature itself ; yet 
some of his penetrating and subduing tones were absolutely 
peculiar, and as inimitable as they were indescribable. These 
were felt by every hearer, in all their force. His mightiest 
feelings were sometimes indicated and communicated by a 
long pause, aided by an eloquent aspect, and some signifi- 
cant use of his finger. The sympathy between mind and 
mind is inexplicable. Where the channels of communication 
are open, the faculty of revealing inward passion great, and 
the expression of it sudden and visible, the effects are ex- 
traordinary. Let these shocks of influence be repeated 
again and again, and all other opinions and ideas are for the 
moment absorbed or excluded ; the whole mind is brought 
into unison with that of the speaker ; and the spell-bound 
listener, till the cause ceases, is under an entire fascination. 
Then perhaps the charm ceases, upon reflection, and the 
infatuated hearer resumes his ordinary state. 

" Patrick Henry of course owed much to his singular in- 
sight into the feelings of the common mind. In great cases, 



192 



PATRICK HENRI. 



he scanned his jury, and formed his mental estimate ; on this 
basis he founded his appeals to their predilections and char- 
acter. It is what other advocates do, in a lesser degree. 
When he knew that there were conscientious or religious 
men among the jury, he would most solemnly address him- 
self to their sense of right, and would adroitly bring in Scrip • 
tural citations. If this handle was not offered, he would lay 
bare the sensibility of patriotism. Thus it was, when he 
succeeded in rescuing the man who had deliberately shot 
down a neighbour ; who moreover lay under the odious sus- 
picion of being a tory, and who was proved to have refused 
supplies to a brigade of the American army. 

" A learned and intelligent gentleman stated to me that 
he once heard Mr. Henry's defence of a man arraigned for a 
capital crime. So clear and abundant was the evidence, that 
my informant was unable to conceive any grounds of defence, 
especially after the law had been ably placed before the jury 
by the attorney for the commonwealth. For a long time 
after Henry began, he never once adverted to the merits of 
the case or the arguments of the prosecution, but went off 
into a most captivating and discursive oration on general 
topics, expressing opinions in perfect accordance with those 
of his hearers ; until having fully succeeded in obliterating 
every impression of his opponent's speech, he obliquely 
approached the subject, and as occasion was offered dealt 
forth strokes which seemed to tell upon the minds of the 
jury. In this case, it should be added, the force of truth 
prevailed over the art of the consummate orator/'* 

* Princeton Magazine, 1850. 



HAMPDEN SIDNEY. 



193 



From manuscript authorities we acid a few traits. At 
first sight Mr. Henry's appearance struck him as being not 
unlike that of an old clergyman. There was a peculiar 
earnestness in all that he said, and his small gray eyes 
seemed to be in perpetual motion. " The only time/' says 
he, " that I ever was in Mr. Henry's company, was a few 
months before his decease, when I was sent for to preach at 
the funeral of old Mr. James Hunt, the father of the Kev. 
James Hunt. This man had been brought up in the same 
neighbourhood with Mr. Henry, and resided near him during 
his last years. Old Captain Craighead had late in life mar- 
ried a daughter of Mr. Hunt, and it was he who introduced 
me. I had, however, little conversation with him. After the 
sermon he asked Capt. Craighead what we meant by talking 
so much about grace, and added that he did not understand 
it. He was, however, a firm believer in Divine Eevelation, 
and spent much of his time during his retirement in reading 
the works of such authors as Sherlock and Tillotson ; and he 
warmly recommended religion to those young friends who 
came to see him." Some years ago we obtained from the 
Clerk's Office of Charlotte County a certified copy of an 
extract from his last will and testament, which is in these 
remarkable words : " This is all the inheritance I can give 
to my dear family. The Eeligion of Christ can give them 
one which will make them rich indeed." 

The College of Hampden Sidney derived its name from 
two great English patriots. It was founded for the purpose 
of raising up an evangelical ministry. As early as 1771, in 
consequence of representations made by Mr. Samuel Stan- 

13 



194 



HAMPDEN SIDNEY. 



hope Smith, afterwards President Smith, of New Jersey, 
the Presbytery of Hanover began to consider the subject of 
education. The first attempts were humble, and did not 
contemplate any thing so elevated as a college. One or two 
schools, under presbyterial direction, were during the follow- 
ing years taught in different places, till at length in 1773 
it was determined to open a seminary in the county of 
Prince Edward. Mr. Samuel Stanhope Smith was appointed 
the rector, and became at the same time pastor of the con- 
gregations of Prince Edward and Cumberland. Land was 
given and moneys were raised for books and apparatus. 
The revolutionary troubles greatly impeded, but did not 
utterly hinder the progress of the institution. In 1776, Mr. 
J ohn Blair Smith, so often mentioned in this narrative, be- 
came the assistant of his brother, and there were other in- 
structors. After some time Mr. John B. Smith became 
principal of the seminary, as well as pastor of the churches 
of Cumberland and Briery. Mr. Smith was chosen captain 
of a company of the students, about sixty-five in number, 
and Mr. David Witherspoon, his assistant, was first lieuten- 
ant. The charter of Hampden Sidney as a College was ob- 
tained in 1783, and its first literary degrees were conferred 
in 1786. In 1788, on the retirement of President Smith 
from the active duties of the college, the Eev. Drury Lacy 
was made Vice President. In September, 1789, Mr. Smith 
resigned his presidentship, and for several years efforts were 
made, without success, to obtain the services of the Eev. 
William Graham. " The attention of the Board" — we here 
quote from Dr. Foote — " was then turned to the Eev. Ar- 



JOHN H. RICE. 



195 



chibald Alexander, a member of Lexington Presbytery, 
recently licensed to preach the gospel, a pupil v of Mr. Gra- 
ham. He was invited to unite with Mr. Lacy in the gov- 
ernment and instruction of the College, with equal authority 
and emolument/' 

We are happily able to give Mr. Alexander's own state- 
ment with regard to this important step in his life. " In 
this retirement/' says he, " I spent a few years, when the 
Trustees of Hampden Sidney elected me to the office of 
President. The condition of the college was as low as it 
could be to have an existence. Mr. Lacy set up a school in 
the vicinity, which was attended by most of the youth who 
had been at the college. But the Trustees were determined 
to resuscitate it if possible. At first I was very averse to an 
undertaking of so little promise. But at length I was per- 
suaded to make the trial ; and the consideration had much 
weight with me, that if I did not succeed, I should leave 
matters no worse than they were, but that if I had success, 
I might be doing some public good. I accordingly consented 
in the autumn to go to the college in the following spring ; 
and immediately applied myself to the studies connected 
with my office. 

" J ohn H. Bice, then about the age of twenty, had been 
engaged in teaching below Bichmond, and not being satis- 
fied to remain there, was employed by the Trustees of the 
College to take charge of the few students who were prepar- 
ing for entrance. During the winter I visited him fre- 
quently, and conversed with him respecting the enterprise: 
I soon found that he was no common man. His appetite 



196 



CONRAD SPEECE. 



for books was rabid. Having access now to the college 
library, which, though small, contained some well selected 
works, he was like a hungry ox when let into a rich pasture. 
Before he had half finished one volume, he would be forcibly 
drawn to another, and thus he roamed from book to bock, 
and from shelf to shelf. I found him also to be fond of com- 
position. He read to me many of his pieces, most of which 
were seasoned with no little sarcasm. He had a peculiar 
disposition to satirize the fashions of the times, without any 
thought of publication ; but it was customary with him to 
give his essays to the students to be pronounced as ora- 
tions/' 

It is scarcely needful to add, that the person here named 
is the same who in later years, as the Eev. Dr. Kice, filled 
so large a space in public observation, as a preacher, an 
author, a controvertist, and a theological professor. During 
all his life he was one of the most intimate and cherished 
friends of Dr. Alexander. 

The name of Eice suggests that of Speece, another orna- 
ment of the Virginian church, and likewise closely allied to 
the subject of these memoirs. Conrad Speece was the son 
of a G-erman who lived in Campbell County, some miles east 
of New London. The grandmother of Conrad, living at this 
town, used to receive frequent visits from the boy, whose 
education had been neglected, but who had a turn for music, 
so as to play on several instruments. On one occasion the 
boy composed a humorous description of some Christmas 
sports which had taken place at the village tavern. The 
verses were shown to a number of persons and were thought 



CONRAD SPEECE. 



197 



extraordinary for a boy of thirteen. At that time Mr. Ed- 
ward Graham, afterwards the brother-in-law of Dr. Alex- 
ander, taught a school in New London. By his encourage- 
ment young Speece turned his attention to regular study. 
He was large for his age, and had a rough and uncultivated 
appearance. But he learned readily whatever was assigned 
to him. He did not, however, commit the Latin Grammar 
to memory as speedily as another boy in the school ; but as 
soon as he began to read, and to apply the rules to the 
structure of language, he seemed to have awaked to a new 
sense, and began to study with extraordinary delight. He 
soon finished the first book, leaving all his classmates far 
behind. Bising to a higher class he distanced them in like 
manner, until at the year's close he stood at the head of the 
school, and was able to translate Cicero and Horace with 
more than common accuracy and even elegance. Nothing 
could now cool his ardour of desire for a liberal education. 
After struggling through many difficulties he at length real- 
ized his hopes and entered Washington College in Lexing- 
ton, where he took his degrees with high distinction, and 
became one of its tutors. 

"I first knew him," says Dr. Alexander, "when on a 
visit to my friends. On leaving college he returned home 
and began to read law, but his health seemed so much im- 
paired that for a while he gave up study and travelled on 
foot to the Sweet Springs, where he spent the usual season 
of attendance, bathing and drinking the waters. Another 
teacher being needed at Hampden Sidney, I turned my at- 
tention to Speece, who had now returned home, whither I 



198 



PORTRAIT BY RICE. 



went to seek him out. I found the dwelling of his father in 
a rough country, at a romantic and sequestered spot. Conrad 
was at home, in coarse farmer's dress, and seemed pleased 
with the idea of spending his life in husbandry. But after 
deliberating upon my proposals, he agreed to come to us at 
the commencement of the next session. He came accord- 
ingly, and he, John H. Eice, and I, performed the duty of 
professors without the title." 

The intimacy of these three young men was so close and 
affectionate, that we seize with avidity on any estimate 
which any one of them formed of the others ; and we there- 
fore introduce here, by a little anticipation, some remarks of 
Dr. Eice, in which he sketches his two associates. " The 
eldest of them " (whom he calls Paulinus, but who is evi- 
dently Mr. Alexander,) "had been a preacher ten or fifteen 
years, is endowed with faculties of the highest kind, and has 
cultivated them with great assiduity. No man of his age 
has greater extent or variety of information. His powers are 
peculiarly fitted for the investigation of truth. With a sound 
judgment, a vigorous understanding, a quick perception, a 
great compass of thought, he has the capacity of holding his 
mind in suspense, until a subject be viewed in all its bearings 
and relations, and until the rays of evidence, however widely 
they are dissipated, are all brought to a focus on the point 
under investigation. Possessing such intellectual powers as 
these, he is animated with a love of truth, and thirst after 
knowledge, which prompt to unwearied diligence in re- 
search, and unremitting application to study. His know- 
ledge, then, must be considerable. His taste is refined, his 



PORTRAIT BY RICE. 



199 



imagination rich in imagery, his elocution copious, and his 
trains of reasoning are close and logical ; his eye sparkles 
with intelligence, and his voice is as melodious as the notes 
of the nightingale. But in addition to all these excellencies, 
he is remarkably modest ; it is impossible for you to be in 
his company without seeing his superiority, and yet such is 
his modesty, that it gives you no pain to acknowledge it" 

" The second'' (Philander, or Mr. Speece,) "is a younger 
man and a younger minister. He also possesses real genius. 
The most remarkable quality of his mind is vigour ; in argu- 
mentation he resembles one of the Ajaxes of Homer, with 
his mace of iron, at every vibration overthrowing whole 
troops of Trojans. His conception is very clear ; and of 
course he is perspicuous, precise and fluent in elocution. 
From the comparison just used, however, it is not to be sup- 
posed that there is any thing of coarseness in his mind. 
Far from it. His imagination is delicate, and his taste re- 
fined." He adds, " The piety of both these gentlemen is 
warm and unaffected. They have hearts formed for friend- 
ship. Possessing the highest talents, and the best means of 
information that Virginia could afford, they would have been 
•capable of filling any office, and might have risen to the 
first eminence in the State. But such was their devotion to 
the cause of Christ, that they left all and followed him." * 

To return to our narrative ; when Mr. Alexander went 
to the college he resigned his more distant charge, and divided 
his preaching between the congregations of Briery and Prince 

* Virginia Religious Magazine, VoL iii. pp. 170, 171. Maxwell's Life of 
Rice, pp. 39, 40. 



200 



EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. 



Edward. His friends in Charlotte, and especially Mrs. Bead, 
were much, opposed to his removal. On going to Hampden 
Sidney he had possession of the president's house, but usually 
took his meals at the common table. At no time of his life 
did he feel more keenly the stimulus to application, and he 
declared in later years that whatever accuracy he possessed 
in classical and scientific knowledge was acquired during such 
periods, under the spur of necessity. He began by insisting 
on the utmost exactness, and took pleasure in drilling the 
young men in those rudiments which they had neglected. 
The number increased rapidly, but there were as yet no 
regular classes, and very few took a complete course. Yet 
all the branches then common in colleges were taught, and 
some of them thoroughly ; the studies being arranged in 
some degree after the method then prevalent at Princeton. 

It is to be regretted that of that very interesting period 
of his life, we have but slender memorials from his own pen. 
He was earnestly engaged, even beyond his strength, in accu- 
mulating and systematizing stores of knowledge ; and in 
conscientiously endeavouring to lift up an institution which 
had sunk almost to the lowest point. At the same time he 
was laborious in preaching the Gospel, not only to his two 
congregations, but, according to the custom of the country, 
in many places on every side. To this part of his duties he 
always recurred with most pleasure in the memory of later 
years. Though he had under his care many promising and 
interesting pupils, some of whom live to remember his kind 
instructions, he never felt himself completely at home at the 
head of a college. There was, however, much solace in the 



SCRUPLES ABOUT BAPTISM. 



201 



cordial intimacies of a cultivated and Christian people, who 
have been and still are noted, even among Virginians, for 
the warmth of their attachments and the largeness of their 
hospitality. These years, spent amidst many anxieties, 
were, nevertheless, profitable in no common degree, in 
the corroboration of principles, and the moulding of char- 
acter. 

The history of any human mind is incomplete unless it 
affords us some knowledge of inward struggles in regard to 
the acquisition of truth and the performance of duty. One 
of these crises occurred in the life of Mr. Alexander, while 
he was president of the college ; and we must interrupt the 
regular narrative, to give some account of his difficulties 
respecting Baptism. . His own record of this is so extensive 
that it might even form a separate publication. For our 
present purposes we must endeavour to afford an honest 
representation of the whole, in the way partly of abridgment 
and partly of extract. 

" About this time," says he, probably indicating some 
part of the years 1797, 1798, or 1799, " I fell into doubt 
respecting the authority of infant baptism. The origin of 
these doubts was in too rigid notions as to the purity of the 
church, with a belief that receiving infants had a corrupting 
tendency. I communicated my doubts very freely to my 
friend Mr. Lyle, and to Mr. Speece, and found that they had 
both been troubled by the same. We talked much privately 
on the subject, and often conversed with others in hope of 
getting some new light. At length Mr. Lyle and I deter- 
mined to give up the practice of baptizing infants, until we 



202 



SCRUPLES ABOUT BAPTISM. 



should receive more light. This determination we publicly 
communicated to our people, and left them to take such 
measures as they deemed expedient ; but they seemed will- 
ing to await the issue. We also communicated to the 
Presbytery the state of our minds, and left them to do what 
seemed good in the case ; but as they believed that we were 
sincerely desirous of arriving at the truth, they took no 
steps, and I believe made no record. 

" Things remained in this posture for more than a year. 
During this time I read much on both sides, and carried on 
a lengthened correspondence, particularly with Dr. Hoge. 
Two considerations kept me back from joining the Baptists. 
The first was that the universal prevalence of infant bap- 
tism, as early as the fourth and fifth centuries, was unac- 
countable on the supposition that no such practice existed 
in the times of the apostles. The other was, that if the 
Baptists are right, they are the only Christian church on 
earth, and all other denominations are out of the visible 
church. Besides, I could not see how they could ever obtain 
a valid baptism/' 

Mr. Speece was, however, more precipitate, and having 
concluded that the Antipedobaptists were right, strongly 
urged his friends to join him in going over. They endea- 
voured to retard his progress, but his mind was naturally in- 
clined to peremptory conclusions, and impatient of dubiety. 
One Sunday morning, therefore, he went to a Baptist meet- 
ing, held within two miles of the college, and without having 
gi^en notice of his intention, was there re-baptized by im- 
mersion. On his return he seemed much satisfied with what 



IMMERSION OF SPEECE. 



203 



he had done. The church soon licensed him to preachy and 
he began to go about the country with his Baptist brethren. 
"He attended an Association in Cumberland, where he 
preached ; some of the ministers informed him that he 
aimed well, but that if he would do execution he 6 must put 
to more powder/ They gloried much in their acquisition, 
and the day was often fixed by public rumour for my bap- 
tism and that of Mr. Lyle. It was evident, however, that 
Mr. Speece was not perfectly happy in his new connection ; 
yet he said nothing/' 

To those who know the character of Dr. Alexander's 
mind, his reverence for Scripture as the sole authority, and 
his extraordinary acquaintance with the various literature 
of this controversy, it is scarcely necessary to say, that his 
ultimate determination was founded exclusively on the word 
of God. Historical and patristical arguments cleared away 
prejudices, and brought him with an unbiassed judgment to 
the record. None know better than those Baptists, who 
were once his pupils, how largely and thoroughly he investi- 
gated the purely biblical sources of opinion on this topic, 
and how entirely he repudiated all other grounds for pedo- 
baptism. The contrary has been disingenuously insinuated 
by some whose personal knowledge might have prevented 
the convenient error. In the very manuscript from which a 
portion has been selected for the Memoir, as having some 
novelty, there is a sketch of the scriptural argument. It is 
omitted by us, from our persuasion that none even among 
opponents will allow themselves to quote such silence as 



204 



KEMOVAL OF DOUBTS. 



proof that Dr. Alexander remained a pedobaptist without 
biblical warrant. In that sketch, which is too long for our 
narrative, he passes under review the arguments for infant 
baptism which controlled his life-long judgment ; the apos- 
tolic baptism of households, as explained by proselyte bap- 
tisms ; the inclusion of infants in churches ; the federal con- 
secration of infants ; the analogy of circumcision ; the identity 
of the Jewish and Christian church ; our Lord's treatment 
of little children. The expansion of these and like argu- 
ments, in his elaborate lectures, is remembered by hundreds, 
who learned from him to go to the Scriptures for the settle- 
ment of their doubts. 

By this process of diligent inquiry his mind was at 
length brought to peace upon a subject which had given him 
great distress for as much, it is believed, as two years. He 
quietly resumed the practice of the church, in which he 
was joined by his friend and relative Mr. Lyle. And after a 
short time Mr. Speece returned to the bosom of the church, 
of which he remained for many years an ornament. 

It is not without entertainment that we read the account 
of these events in the " History of the Eise and Progress of 
the Baptists in Virginia," by the Bev. Bobert B. Semple. 
He is speaking of the Middle District Association. 

" The sessions were as usual, until October, 1800, when 
they met at Tarwallet Meeting-house, in Cumberland 
County. This is said to have been one of the most unplea- 
sant, and, indeed, confused meetings, that the Association 
had ever witnessed. The consequences did not subside for 
several years, as we shall presently show. It was at this ses- 



BAPTIST ACCOUNT. 



205 



sion that Mr. Conrad Speece (now a Presbyterian preacher), 
who had been baptized in the course of the year, by elder 
James Saunders, was introduced as a Baptist preacher, and 
was found, both in the pulpit and private conference, agree- 
able and clever. He was a man of considerable learn- 
ing, having been educated for a Presbyterian preacher. By 
reading some treatise on believers' baptism, as 'tis said, 
he became convinced of the impropriety of infant baptism. 
After some time devoted to the study of the subject, he of- 
fered himself as a candidate for baptism, and was accord- 
ingly baptized by Mr. Saunders. Soon after this Associa- 
tion, he professed to be again convinced of the validity of 
infant sprinkling, and wrote a letter to Mr. Saunders, to 
that effect. He rejoined the Presbyterians, and has since 
continued with them. Of his motives it is difficult to judge. 
By some it was said that he was disgusted with the turbulent 
proceedings of the Association at this session ; by others, 
that Mr. Speece was much disappointed on finding that 
Baptist preachers received little or no compensation for 
their ministerial services. It is, perhaps, more probable, 
that he found the general tenor of the manners and customs 
of the Baptists quite different from his own and those of his 
former associates. Finding his temper soured at the loss of 
society to which his habits were assimilated, and not able at 
once to accommodate himself to that into which he had now 
fallen, he was the more easily persuaded of the truth of 
principles, which but a few months previously he had re- 
nounced as erroneous and false. It has sometimes been 
made a question in private companies, whether it would not 



206 



BAPTIST ACCOUNT. 



have been more wise, on this occasion, to have separated 
baptism and church membership. There were at this time 
several other eminent Presbyterian preachers, halting between 
two opinions.. It was thought they were perfectly per- 
suaded of the impropriety of infant baptism, and therefore 
did not for many years baptize a single child, but were 
averse to joining the Baptists, or, however, from some cause, 
did not do it. Now, say some, had one or more of these 
been baptized, without requiring them to become members 
of the Baptist Church, he could have baptized the rest, and 
they might have formed a society to themselves, in which 
the ordinances would have been preserved pure, although 
their church government and general manners would have 
been different from the other Baptists. These suggestions 
were wholly speculative ; one thing, however, is certain, that 
when Mr. Speece deserted the Baptists, the scruples of all 
the others were quickly removed, and they resumed the ab- 
surd practice of sprinkling children. Of Speece we must 
say, we wish that he had either never submitted to baptism, 
or that, being baptized, he had not again turned away/' 
pp. 197, 198. 

The family of Dr. Alexander have repeatedly heard him 
speak of a long journey of exploration which he made 
during these years into what is now the State of Ohio. He 
travelled on horseback, with a mounted and armed servant. 
But we can turn to no living person who can give us the 
date. W e remember his evening stories about his meeting 
a bear at night, and his coming suddenly on a camp of 
hunters who were rejoicing over great spoil. And he has 



JOUBNEY TO THE WEST. 



207 



often been heard to say, that in Chilicothe, which is now 
a city, the best room in the best house, at the time of 
his visit, had the stump of a tree remaining in its earthen 
floor. 

Aged persons remember the days in which he was a 
daring horseman, an accomplishment certainly not rare 
among gentlemen bred in the South. This must seem 
strange to those whose memory recalls only the contrast of 
his later years, when he never mounted a horse, and seldom 
entered a vehicle. The sister is still living in a serene and 
lovely old age, who in childhood accompanied the young 
missionary on a journey of more than sixty miles, clinging 
behind his saddle. It was a preaching tour ; and with that 
spirit of adventure which belonged to his nature, and that 
contempt for mere conventionalities which never forsook 
him, he took the child of ten years as his companion. 
The expedition is fresh in her memory after sixty years. 
She speaks of crossing the mountain range of the Blue 
Ridge, where there was no road but a bridle-path, and of 
the high excitement awakened by the fresh forest and the 
unwonted scenes of sublime nature. And she tells how her 
brother, wearied with her unceasing prattle, vexed withal 
with toothache, and perhaps, as his manner was, studying 
as he rode, offered her a silver dollar if she would hold her 
peace. Our informant is Mrs. Elizabeth McClung, of Staun- 
ton, now the sole survivor of all those sons and daughters ; 
and the living resemblance in face and manner of her de- 
parted brother. 

Since the more extended memoir was written, a number 



208 



JOURNEY TO THE WEST. 



of little pocket memorandum books have come to light 
which contain accurate lists of all the discourses preached 
during this period. In later years, this method was dropped, 
as, indeed, was every thing which looked like an enumera- 
tion of duties and performances, or connected the personality 
of the preacher with the great and paramount work of God 
by him. In all his life, he knew nothing of gratulatory 
assemblages, ministerial anniversaries, or jubilees ; while his 
peculiar tolerance and candour kept him from censuring 
those who accepted such offerings of partiality. 



CHAPTER NINTH. 



1801. 



RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENTSHIP — JOURNEY NORTHWARD — DR. WADDEI 

AMOS THOMPSON — FREEMAN THE FANATIC PHILADELPHIA THB 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY — PRINCETON — NEW-YORK GENERAL ASSOCIATION 

OF CONNECTICUT HARTFORD — DR. STRONG NEWPORT — DR. HOPKINS 

AND DR. PATTON DR. EMMONS. 



FTER remaining at Hampden Sidney until the spring 



-d- of the year 1801, Mr. Alexander resigned his office as 
president, and resigned his pastoral charge. His motive was 
twofold ; first, the restoration of his health, which had been 
impaired by several severe attacks of illness, and a desire 
to visit New England, which he had long cherished. An 
expectation prevailed among most of the people that he 
would return after a few months to resume the duties of his 
post, and hence no efforts were made to fill the vacancy. 
Indeed, he was assured by the Trustees of the college, 
and the elders of the churches, that they would gladly re- 
ceive him after the temporary absence. He resolved, how- 




210 



JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 



ever, to fetter himself by no engagements, so that he might 
be free to accept any situation of greater usefulness which 
might be presented. He was chosen by the Hanover Pres- 
bytery as a commissioner to the approaching General As- 
sembly, 

Travelling on horseback, and at a time when bank-notes 
were little in use, he carried his money in his saddle-bags. 
The first night after leaving home, in the county of Cum- 
berland, he was robbed, by some one who cut the leather 
containing his little store. On the day after leaving this 
place, he was seized with so violent a chill, that he was 
obliged to turn into a house not far from the road, and seek 
permission to lie down. Pursuing his journey, he is led to 
observe, that the whole course of a man's life may depend on 
a determination which he makes from motives of very little 
weight. For he hesitated for some time whether he should 
go the upper road, by the Eev. Dr. "Waddel's, or the lower 
road, by the Eev. J ohn Todd's, who had requested him to 
attend the communion of their church. His preference of 
the former led to one of the most important events of his 
life. 

The Eev. Dr. James Waddel, celebrated as the Blind 
Preacher of Wirt's British Spy, was now in old age residing 
on his estate, at the junction of the three counties of Louisa, 
Orange and Albemarle ; his dwelling being in the first 
named of these. He was born in Ireland, in 1739, and was 
educated in Pennsylvania, under the care of the Eev. Dr. 
Finley, afterwards president of New Jersey College. He 
was licensed as a probationer by the Presbytery of Hanover, 



DR. WADDEL. 



211 



in 1761, and in the same year received calls from five con- 
gregations at once ; none of which he accepted. In 1762 ; 
he became pastor of the churches of Lancaster and 
Northumberland, lying between the great rivers Potomac 
and Kappahannock. Here he would cheerfully have spent 
his life, amidst extraordinary usefulness, and in the bosom 
of a loving people, but for the ill effects of the climate. 
About the year 1777, vnth a constitution almost ruined, he 
accepted a second call to the church of Tinkling Spring, in 
Augusta. The last earthly removal of Dr. Waddel was to 
an estate called Hopewell, on the other side of the mountain. 
It was here that Mr. Alexander was about to visit him. 

Dr. Waddel was one of the most distinguished clergymen 
of his time. To great learning, he added an eloquence so re- 
markable, that the traditionary accounts of it seem almost 
fabulous. It was of that sort which electrifies whole assem- 
blies, transferring to them the speaker's passion, at his will ; 
a species, we must own, which has prevailed very much at 
the South. Under his preaching, audiences were moved 
simultaneously and irresistibly, as the trees of the wood are 
shaken by a tempest. Especially was his power great, in so 
painting his sacred scenes as to bring the hearer into the 
very presence of the object. When he rose in scornful 
argument, it was like a sweeping torrent, which carries 
every thing before it. He died on the 17th of September, 
1805. During some years of his life, he was afflicted with 
blindness. A cataract seized first one eye, and then the 
other, leaving him in total darkness. By means of the 
operation of couching, he recovered the sight of one eye. 



212 



AMOS THOMPSON. 



During this great privation, he still retained his ardent 
thirst for knowledge, and caused many volumes, some of 
which were in the Latin tongue, to be read to him by his 
daughter Janetta, whose name now becomes connected with 
our narrative. 

Mr. Alexander had seen this young lady before, in visits 
which he had made at Hopewell, the residence of Dr. Wad- 
del. Her beauty had struck him, but the impression was 
transient. When he now saw her again, waiting with filial 
piety on her venerable father, and during a sojourn of several 
days learned more fully the excellencies of her character, he 
determined to seek her hand, and being accepted, proceeded 
on his journey with a pleasing obligation to return ; though, 
as he says, his resolution had been to go to the North 
untrammelled. 

" While I remained here/' so says the narrative, " a 
clergyman came to the house, of whom I had often heard, 
though I had never seen him. The Kev. Amos Thompson, 
who had long resided in Loudon County, Virginia, was a 
man of gigantic frame, but not in the least inclined to cor- 
pulency. His bodily strength was prodigious, several proofs of 
which I had from himself. He came to the northern part 
of Virginia, before the Revolutionary War ; and before his 
arrival, the Baptists were the only dissenters in that part of 
the country. Old Father Thomas, one of their leading preach- 
ers, and a man of many oddities, had been threatened with 
personal violence by a set of profane and lawless men, if he 
should ever show his face in a certain pulpit, where he had 
preached for some time. The old man took a journey of 



AMOS THOMPSON. 



213 



twenty or thirty miles, to obtain the presence of Amos 
Thompson at the aforesaid place. Thompson, being fearless 
and fond of adventure, at once agreed to go and preach for 
him. When they arrived, a great multitude had assembled, 
some to hear the preacher, and some to see the sport, for 
the ruffians had sworn that they would beat old Thomas. 
While Mr. Thompson was at prayer, a company armed with 
bludgeons entered the house, and took their position just 
before the pulpit ; but when they saw the brawny arm and 
undaunted appearance of the preacher, they became alarmed, 
and permitted the service to go on to its conclusion. I 
ought to have stated, that at the close of his discourse, Mr. 
Thompson addressed himself directly to these men, and ex- 
postulated with them on the unlawfulness of their proceed- 
ings ; assuring them, that Mr. Thomas, though a dissenter, 
was under the protection of the law, and that if a finger 
shoold be raised against him, the law should be put in force, 
foi that he would spend all the little property he possessed 
in seeing that justice was done. He concluded by saying, 
that although he was a preacher, and a man of peace, he 
held it to be right, when attacked, to defend himself, which 
he was ready and able to do. When the meeting was ended, 
he went out of the house and inquired for the captain of the 
band. Being led to the spot where they were collected, he 
approached this man, and asked him to go aside with him. 
A stout, bold-looking man walked off with him towards the 
wood, on entering which he appeared to be panic-struck, 
stopped, and raised his club. Thompson said, 'Fie, man, 
what can you do with that ? ' and in a moment wrested it 



214 



FREEMAN THE FANATIC. 



out of his hand, adding that he intended no violence, but 
that if so disposed, he could hurl him to the earth in a mo- 
ment. The ruffian was completely overawed, and was glad 
to escape from so powerful an antagonist. Father Thomas 
received no further molestation. 

" Thompson was a graduate of Princeton College (in 
1760), while Mr. Davies was President. He was, I think, 
a native of Connecticut. Soon after being licensed, having 
heard that the Kev. Samuel Hopkins had adopted some novel 
opinions in theology, he took horse and travelled to New- 
port, to converse with this celebrated man, and if possible 
to convince him of his errors. The result was, that after 
discussing the disputed points for several days, he came 
away a thorough convert to Dr. Hopkins's system, to which 
he tenaciously adhered until his dying day, and which he 
preached on all occasions, filling the minds of the untheologi- 
cal Virginians with astonishment, and often with displeasure. 

" When I met Mr. Thompson at Hopewell, he was about 
seventy years of age, and had been journeying to Henry 
Court House, more than three hundred miles from his resi- 
dence, to attend on a lawsuit, for a piece of land to which 
he thought that he had a title ; I travelled for several days 
with him. As he often alighted to get fire for his pipe, 
which he kept almost continually in his mouth, we made 
slow progress. Soon after this, the old gentleman died 
suddenly, I believe/' 

Pursuing his journey northward, Mr. Alexander passed 
through Alexandria, Georgetown and Washington. At i \e 
last-named place, he met with Adam Freeman, latelj a 



ADAM FREEMAN. 



215 



minister of the Gospel, but now a wild enthusiast. The 
case of this unfortunate man is too full of warning, to be 
passed over without particular notice. 

Adam Freeman was a schoolmaster at Lexington, during 
the revival times. He w T as remarkable for a long visage, 
large mouth, very black hair, and lips which scarcely con- 
cealed his teeth ; he was tall, raw-boned, and of knotty 
joints. He attended a dancing-school, but with no very 
notable amendment in his carriage. In 1789, having been 
lately admitted to the bar, Freeman became interested in 
the great revival, of which much has already been said. 
From the first, he seemed to possess a full assurance of the 
favour of God. He was licensed to preach the Gospel, and 
inveighed earnestly against intemperance in eating, and the 
excesses of female dress. After obtaining a settlement, he 
became much distressed at the wicked and corrupt state of 
the church, and after revolving the matter for some time, 
resolved to demand of every communicant in his charge 
a full account of his inward state, and to warn such as 
seemed unfit, against approaching the Lord's Table. He 
was next led to attribute the corruption of the church, to 
the membership of infants, and published a pamphlet, en- 
titled " The Death and Burial of Infant Baptism." The 
principle which he now adopted, was, that nothing in religion 
was to be practised, for which we can find no example or 
explicit command in Scripture. Hence, he would neither 
pray nor sing before preaching, and likewise disused family 
worship. But he had not been many weeks among the Bap- 
tists, before he found that they needed further reformation. 



216 



ADAM FREEMAN, 



Being unsuccessful in his endeavours, he published a philip- 
pic against the Baptists, and gave notice that he had set up a 
church of his own ; into which, however, he could gather 
but nine persons. 

Giving a literal interpretation to the last chapter of 
Mark, he next attempted to perform a miracle, by healing 
a woman who was ill. The failure on this occasion only 
convinced him that his faith was not genuine, and he went 
home in the greatest distress. He gave himself up to fasting 
and prayer, and after much study came to the conclusion, 
that no part of the Bible is inspired except the books of 
Ezekiel and Kevelation. In process of time, he declared 
himself to be the Shiloh of the prophecy. While in this 
frenzy, he went to a neighbouring town, directed as he said 
to observe a fast of three weeks, and to warn the people of 
impending destruction. For months he had allowed his 
beard to grow, and now wore a long white garment, so that 
his appearance was terrific. He passed through the streets 
in this guise, crying, " Wo, wo, wo ! " He was apprehended, 
and on being brought before the magistrates, made a defence 
of great ability and severity. He left the place denouncing 
anathemas, and shaking off the dust of his feet against it. 
Soon after this, he appeared at the house of a gentleman of 
Alexandria, clothed, and in his light mind, but declaring, 
that as to religion, he would have nothing more to do with 
it. He went to the remote south, and resumed the practice 
of the law ; but was seized with a fever, which soon put an 
end to his life. 

But we must accompany Mr Alexander on his journey 



PHILADELPHIA. 



217 



northward. He arrived at Philadelphia, and attended tht 
General Assembly, which met on the twenty-first of May, 
1801. He was the only commissioner from his Presbytery, 
and there were only three from the Southern States. It 
may remind us of the growth of our church, that seventeen 
Presbyteries were represented. Here, however, he was brought 
into a nearer acquaintance with several eminent men, among 
whom were the Eev. Dr. Jonathan Edwards, Dr. McMillan, 
the patriarch of western Pennsylvania, Dr. Green, Dr. Wood- 
hull, and Dr. McKnight. Here also he first met with the 
Eev. Samuel Miller, with whom he was to spend more than 
thirty-five years of harmonious labour, but who was now in 
the early bloom of manly vigour. Reports were brought to 
this Assembly, of the remarkable revivals in the West, by 
winch our churches were largely extended in that growing 
region ; and the Synod of Virginia made it known, that they 
had employed six missionaries to labour west of the Alleghe- 
ny. This Assembly was further remarkable for the adoption 
of regulations for the government of churches in the new 
settlements, where Presbyterians and Congregationalists are 
intermingled. The whole acts of this Assembly bear marks 
of a zeal for the extension of the church, and of a missionary 
spirit in regard to the heathen. Mr. Alexander was ap- 
pointed a delegate to the General Association of Connecticut, 
together with Dr. McKnight, of New- York, and young Dr. 
Linn, of Philadelphia. 

Here he had another attack of remittent fever, the last 
which ever visited him. We were informed by the late Eev. 
| Dr. Hillyer, of New J ersey, that he fell in with Mr. Alex- 



218 



PKINCETON. 



ander during this sojourn : that the latter considered his 
state of health as threatening, and was much impressed 
with a belief that his labours were soon to end. 

On leaving the great city, he proceeded, still on horse- 
back, through New Jersey to New- York. His companion 
was Mr. Charles Coffin, a young minister of New England, 
who had been sent out to East Tennessee, where he united 
with the Rev. Hezekiak Balch, in gaining many adherents 
to the new views of Hopkins. He was an alumnus of Har- 
vard, and a man of respectable talents, but strongly attached 
to the scheme of Emmons. On the first day they reached 
Trenton, where they lodged with the Eev. James F. Arm- 
strong. 

"The next stage/' says he about 1849, "we travelled 
no further than Princeton ; the first time I ever saw the 
place where I have already spent above thirty years of my 
life, and where I shall in all probability lay my bones. Such 
a view jf futurity as should have presented to me the events 
of my life, would then have appeared very strange." He 
renewed his acquaintance with President Smith, who had 
known his father and grandfather, and had been seen by 
him at meetings of the General Assembly in "Winchester 
and Philadelphia, In those days the talk in Princeton was 
about Godwin's Political Justice, a book which has lost its 
interest, and about a young man, lately a tutor in the col- 
lege, whose eloquence was awakening attention. This was 
the celebrated Henry Kollock. 

" The next day we went on to New Brunswick, where 
we intended to pass the Sabbath. Colonel John Bayard, 



NEW-YORK — HORSE NECK. 



219 



the father of Andrew, Samuel, James, and John, had met 
me in Philadelphia and kindly invited me to stop at his 
house. In the afternoon I preached for the Rev. Dr. Clark, 
in my usual Virginia style, without notes, on the conversion 
of Paul. Here I became acquainted with Judge Paterson, 
with whom I was greatly pleased. With great talents, ex- 
tensive knowledge, and profound legal attainments, he was 
as gentle and unassuming as any man I ever met with. Dr. 
Clark was an excellent man and greatly esteemed by his 
people. Col. Bayard was a gentleman of generous feelings, 
who had been much in public life, both civil and ecclesiasti- 
cal ; for he had been President of Congress, and often in the 
General Assembly. 

A single stage brought them to New-York, where Mr, 
Alexander was courteously entertained by the Eev. Dr. 
McKnight. There he was brought into more close acquaint- 
ance with the Kev. Samuel Miller, as yet unmarried, and 
resident with his distinguished brother, Edward Miller, 
M. D. Dr. Eodgers was now advanced in years, but still 
occupied the pulpit of the First Church in his turn. 

At Horse Neck, in Connecticut, now Greenwich, they 
enjoyed the hospitality of Dr. Isaac Lewis, at the finely situ- 
ated dwelling which is still occupied by his descendants. 
Dr. Lewis was a man of science, and had been thought of 
as qualified for the presidentship of Yale College, when his 
neighbour, Dr. Dwight, was chosen. This excellent clergy- 
man was the father of Mr. Zechariah Lewis, of New- York. 
Their next stage was Norwalk, on the Sound, where they 
were kindly received by Dr. Burnett, who had received his 



220 



D ANBURY — LITCHFIELD. 



education at Princeton. At Danbury they fell in with 
Doctors McKnight and Linn, on their way to the General 
Association, and the whole company was entertained by a 
wealthy deacon. Here they saw a few Sandemanians col- 
lecting for their worship. Here, also, they saw still in use 
the pillions on which women rode to church behind their 
husbands and fathers. At every step they had cause to ad- 
mire the unaffected hospitality of New England. Some 
sketches in the words of the manuscript journal will be ac- 
ceptable to the reader. 

" From Danbury we proceeded to Litchfield, and arrived 
early in the day on which the General Association was to 
meet. The appearance of the old country clergymen was to 
me novel and grotesque. They came into town on horseback 
or in chaises, wearing cocked hats, and sometimes queues 
dangling down the back. The opening sermon was preached 
by Dr. Perkins, of Hartford. The ministers all met at the 
house of the pastor, Mr. Huntington ; and the first thing 
was a distribution of long pipes and papers of tobacco, so 
that the room was soon filled with smoke. 

" According to usage the delegates were lodged at the 
house of the pastor, a very polite and hospitable man, who 
soon afterwards became a Unitarian. Dr. Linn requested me 
to go into the pulpit with him. About the time of assem- 
bling, a black cloud arose, causing such darkness that long 
before he had got through his sermon he was unable to deci- 
pher his manuscript. Mr. Huntington sent the sexton for 
candles, and these were placed in candlesticks on the pulpit. 
The windows however were open, and the wind being high, 



GENERAL ASSOCIATION. 



221 



the lights flared so much that Dr. Linn could not make out 
to read what lay before him, and taking the paper in his 
hand; held it first to one candle and then to the other, until 
at length he impatiently threw down his manuscript, and 
attempted to conclude his sermon extempore. But he suc- 
ceeded poorly in a kind of preaching to which he was little 
accustomed. He was, nevertheless, a man of genius and a 
splendid orator. He died by the rupture of a bloodvessel, at 
the early age of twenty-six. His ability as a writer may be 
learnt from from his controversy with Dr. Priestley respect- 
ing the divinity of Christ. He was the colleague of Dr. 
Ewing, whom he succeeded in the First Church in Phila- 
delphia. 

" The General Association seemed to have little business, 
and there were no set speeches. The famous c Plan of 
Union/ which made so much noise in after years, had been 
adopted by the Presbyterian Church this year, under the 
influence of Dr. Jonathan Edwards, president of Union Col- 
lege, and was ratified by the Association without discussion. 
Dr. Nathan Strong was evidently the leading spirit. 

" After the General Association was over, Coffin and I 
mounted our horses and took the direction of Hartford. 
About the middle of the day we arrived at the house of the 
Eev. Mr. Cowles, whom Coffin said we must not pass, as he 
was a clergyman of some distinction and a writer on Infant 
Baptism. At Hartford I went to the Eev. Dr. Strong's, 
who had reached home before us, and now received me cor- 
dially. Dr. Strong was somewhat humorous in his conver- 
sation. The next day was the Sabbath, and I preached fox 



222 



HARTFORD. 



him. I found throughout New England that expressions of 
approbation and even admiration in regard to sermons, were 
much more unreserved than in Virginia ; and it affected me 
strangely to have my preaching praised. My sentiments 
suited Dr. Strong, on this account, that he had drawn back 
from the ultraism of Hopkins, Emmons and others, and 
that Coffin, as it appeared, had delivered a discourse in 
which he recognised the doctrine, that Grod is the efficient 
cause of sin. With this Dr. Strong was dissatisfied, and in 
the morning spoke to us both, as though we entertained that 
opinion ; but I immediately disclaimed it, and left Coffin to 
defend his own tenets. 

" The year before there had been a glorious revival in 
Dr. Strong's congregation, more considerable than any which 
had occurred since the great awakening in the time of Presi- 
dent Edwards. The enthusiasm and divisions which brought 
disgrace on that work, had left in the sober-minded a dread 
of all religious excitements. When the revival began in 
Hartford, as Dr. Strong told me, he was alarmed and thrown 
into great perplexity, as to whether he should encourage or 
suppress it. Labouring under this anxiety he went for ad- 
vice to Chief Justice Ellsworth, on whose judgment he 
placed great reliance. The Judge counselled him to go for- 
ward, encouraging the seriousness, but to guard against ex- 
travagances. A similar awakening was experienced in most 
of the congregations in the State \ of which a full account 
may be seen in the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine. Dr. 
Strong took me in his chaise to visit Judge Ellsworth in North 
Hartford I had a particular desire to see this distinguished 



DR. STRONG. 



223 



man ; but we were not so fortunate as to find him at home. 
In returning we called and took tea with Mr. Rowland, the 
minister of North Hartford. We found here the Eev. Dr. 
Lyman, of Hatfield, on his way to New Haven, to plead for 
a church there against their minister. He was famous, as I 
learned, on such occasions, and was sent for from far and 
near. Dr. Lyman, though dry and metaphysical, and appa- 
rently not susceptible of tender feeling, was a sound theolo- 
gian, and a clear-headed and truly benevolent man. The 
zeal and constancy with which he sustained the cause of 
Foreign Missions, furnish good evidence of his enlarged and 
Christian views. I was told that there was not a family in 
Hatfield which did not belong to his charge ; and that the 
manners of the people retained all the puritanic simplicity 
of the preceding century. 

" Much attention was paid to church music at this time 
in New England ; but the taste was not the most pure and 
refined. Choirs were found every where, and the singing 
was very much confined to them. This struck me unfavour- 
ably. There was little appearance of devotion in the choir, 
and less in the congregation. In Dr. Flint's church, I was 
informed before I went, that the chorister would send into 
the pulpit the psalms which were to be given out. 

"In the evening of the Sabbath we had a delightful 
meeting in Dr. Strong's lect are-room, where I was again 
called upon to speak. A large portion of the assembly was 
made up of new converts, fruits of the late revival, with 
whose appearance I was greatly pleased. The Eev. Mr. 
Cooley has informed me, that he came there that evening in 



224 



DR. STRONG. 



great distress of mind, under which, he had laboured fox 
months, and that he found peace and comfort to his soul. 
There still remained some cases of obstinate dejection. 
Among these was a young son of Dr. Strong, about sixteen 
or seventeen years of age. I conversed with him. at the 
request of the father, but could not succeed in dispelling the 
darkness which hung over his mind. 

"Dr. Strong was a graduate of Princeton College, and 
in principle a Presbyterian as to church government. He 
was much celebrated fox his powers of wit and satire. 
He published two volumes of sermons, such as he preached 
to his people. They are more practical and experimental 
than any discourses issued in New England about this 
time. But they are deeply imbued with the new theo- 
logical opinions now generally embraced in that country. 
He published also a volume on Universal Salvation, in answer 
to a posthumous work of his intimate friend. Dr. Joseph 
Huntington, entitled *' Calvinism Improved/ The argument 
is founded on the optimistic principle, that the introduction 
of sin and its eternal punishment tend to the highest possi- 
ble degree of happiness in the universe. On this principle, 
the reasoning is ingeniously and forcibly conducted. The 
work gave great satisfaction to all Hopkinsians in New Eng- 
land, but has been little read elsewhere. Nevertheless, Dr. 
Strong, like Dr. D wight, drew back from the opinion that 
God is the author of sin, and also from making a willingness 
to be damned a sign of grace, and from denouncing the use 
of means in the case of the unregenerate. These three 
things they were accustomed to name as the characteristics 



SERMON BY THE WAY. 



225 



of Hopkinsianism ; so that when Dr. James P. Wilson 
visited President Dwight, he was assured by him that there 
were no Hopkinsians among them, and was referred to these 
tenets as the criterion. 

" Leaving Hartford, we directed our course towards Xew 
London. About the middle of a veiy hot day we arrived at 
Lebanon Crank, where we observed that the church was full 
of people. We put up our horses at the tavern, went into 
the assembly covered with dust, and took our seats near the 
door. The clergyman, a middle-aged man of low stature, 
had just finished the introductory services, and seeing us 
enter, snspected us to be travelling ministers, came down to 
inquire, and finding his surmises correct, entreated and in- 
sisted that one of us should preach for him. He informed 
us that an extensive revival was in progress among his 
people. Mr. Coffin put the service off upon me, and up I 
went with all my dust unbrushed, and gave an extempore 
lecture on the Parable of the Sower. The pastor thanked 
me over and over for the discourse, which he said was exactly 
adapted to his people's present condition : but expressed 
some astonishment that I could 2:0 regularly through such an 
exercise without any sign of a note. He said that the aid was 
most opportune. He had been so occupied with counselling 
inquirers and preaching lectures, that he had never before 
had so little preparation. He took me home with him, and 
gave me a particular account of the origin and progress of 
the awakening, which may be found described in the maga- 
zine above named/' Twenty or thirty years afterward, the 
Rev. Mr. Wright, a missionary to the Choctaw Indians, 

16 



226 



RHODE ISLAND. 



called on Dr. Alexander, and informed him that he was theB 
present, under his first religious impressions. 

The following day they were at Norwich, with the Rev. 
Joseph Strong, a brother of Dr. Nathan Strong of Hartford. 
" In the morning we arrived at New London, and having 
been previously invited, lodged with the Rev. Mr. Channing, 
an uncle of the great Channing of Boston, a sensible man, 
but evidently no friend to evangelical religion or to revivals. 
Crossing the Thames next day we came into the wildest part 
of the State of Connecticut, which borders on Rhode Island. 
The change became more manifest every mile we travelled, 
and we were soon in the midst of the Narraganset country, 
famous for its milk and cheese. About noon we met crowds 
of people in the road, returning from a Baptist meeting, 
where nearly thirty ministers had convened to ordain a 
brother over a vacant church ; but we were informed that the 
ordination did not take place, because the church refused to 
promise any salary to the candidate. The evident rudeness 
and want of courtesy in the people whom we met, differed 
widely from any thing which we had before observed in New 
England. When we came to the church, we found a con- 
course of hearers still there, and could hear the voice of a 
preacher, with the intonation with which I had been well 
acquainted at home. But going a quarter of a mile further, 
I saw what I had never known to take place at an ordina- 
tion, namely, a horse-race, in a field adjoining the highway, 
and hundreds of people collected for the sport. 

"In passing over to the island, I began for the first 
time to breathe the bracing and exhilarating air of the ocean. 



NEWPORT DR. PATTON. 



227 



Its effect on me was suddenly and sensibly beneficial. The 
first day I spent on the island restored me to vigorous 
health ; at least I grew better from that time. Mr. Coffin, 
to whom I resigned myself, took me to the house of the 
Kev. Mr. Patton, afterward Dr. Patton, one of the meekest 
and gentlest men I ever saw. It was every where a matter 
of curiosity to hear an orthodox man from Virginia, which 
was supposed to be given up to Deism. Here for the first 
time I entered the pulpit in a gown ; and it sat awkwardly 
upon me, for Mr. Patton was a much taller man, the pulpit 
was high, and the stairs steep, so that in mounting I be- 
came entangled in my own train. I found that Mr. Patton 
had fully adopted the opinions of Dr. Hopkins. Against 
these, as he informed me, he was much prejudiced at first, 
but had been brought over by degrees, since which time his 
mind had been completely at ease. Coffin had been some- 
what reserved in bringing out the whole system, and we had 
disputed so much on the way as to several points, that he 
did not consider me open to conviction. But Mr. Patton 
considered all my questions in the most candid manner, and 
admitted all the legitimate consequences of the principles 
which he entertained. In particular, he admitted, which 
was unusual, that it would be nowise incompatible with 
G-od's holiness and goodness to create beings in a state of 
total depravity. I received from him a more satisfactory 
account than I had obtained, of the entire system of Dr. 
Hopkins, who was still alive. I spent a day with him, but 
he was now about eighty years of age, and unable to enter 
much into abstruse reasoning. He seemed perfectly placid, 



228 



BRISTOL. 



and fully resigned to the will of God. He had just received 
a volume of Scott's Works, in which the extreme opinions 
of New England are spoken of as tending to Deism. Dr. 
Hopkins, in the calmest manner, undertook to show that 
Scott had mistaken his meaning. 

"Dr. Hopkins had nothing assuming or dogmatical in 
his manner, but showed a childlike simplicity and entire 
submission to the will of God. His labours as a pastor were 
by no means successful. The church of which he was now, 
and had long been pastor, was at this time in a very feeble 
condition. 

"Having preached for Mr. Patton in the morning, I 
supplied Dr. Hopkins's pulpit in the afternoon. There was 
a mere handful of hearers, and when the psalm was given 
out, it appeared that there was no one to lead the music, 
and the Doctor directed me to proceed without singing/' 

From Newport the travellers made their way to Bristol, 
where they were hospitably received by the clergyman. 
They visited Mount Hope, famous for its prospect and for 
its connection with the history of King Philip. At Provi- 
dence they enjoyed the kind attentions of Dr. Hitchcock, a 
Congregational clergyman of what were called liberal views. 
They received much kindness from Professor Messer, after- 
ward President of Brown University. 

The name of Dr. Emmons was perhaps as extensively 
known as that of any divine in New England. The perspi- 
cuity, vigour and terseness of his style, the ingenious con- 
catenation of his arguments, his adventurous boldness, the 
startling nature of his conclusions, and the increasing num- 



DR. EMMONS. 



229 



ber of his adherents, made him a master not to be de- 
spised or overlooked. a Franklin/' says our narrative, "the 
town in which Dr. Emmons lived, joined the State of Ehode 
Island. Mr. Coffin was desirous that I should see this 
champion of the new divinity. I have no doubt that he had 
a design in taking me to this venerable theologian, believing 
that by his conversation I should be brought over, for I was 
already quite a follower of Edwards. Nor had I the least 
objection to receive light from any quarter. We, therefore, 
turned aside from the main road, and came to the Doctor's 
house early in the evening. The country around was better 
cultivated than any I had yet seen in New England, and 
Dr. Emmons occupied a large and commodious farm-house 
very near to his church. I found him to be rather taciturn 
than talkative. He did indeed make many and earnest in- 
quiries of Mr. Coffin respecting the progress of the new 
opinions in Tennessee, whither Dr. Balch had carried the 
seed from Massachusetts. 

" Mr. Coffin proposed to me, as did Dr. Emmons, to re- 
main there and preach, as he had promised to supply a 
vacancy at some distance. I consented without hesitation ; 
expecting, however, to undergo a thorough sifting, and per- 
haps to be under a moral necessity of changing my creed. 
I found that my remaining for so many days was likely to be 
an inconvenience to Mrs. Emmons, who appeared to be a 
discreet, sensible and pious woman. But on the first day of 
my sojourn, the Doctor took me to a monthly meeting of 
ministers at old Mr. Sandford's, within a few miles, which, 
however, he was not in the habit of attending, as he did not 



230 



DR. EMMONS. 



belong to the club. A dinner was always provided, aftel 
which there was a sermon in the church. The two old gen- 
tlemen had long been neighbours, but did not agree in their 
views either of doctrine or church discipline ; but they were 
friendly when they met. And as the Doctor had brought a 
Virginia preacher, a nondescript, they made him doubly 
welcome. They differed even more in politics than in reli- 
gion ; for Mr. Sandford was a democrat of a school hitherto 
unknown to me, holding that when the church was fully es- 
tablished, there would be no need of civil government. On 
that day the sermon came in turn to be preached by the 
Kev. Mr. Alexander, of Mendon, a man of some learning. 
But he was understood to have gone to Boston, and it was 
doubtful whether he would be there. It was therefore put 
upon me to preach, and Mr. Sandford took me up stairs into 
his study, and left me to make such preparation as I needed 
In the mean time Mr. Alexander arrived, having ridden 
twenty or thirty miles in a very hot day. To his inquiries 
as to what arrangement had been made for preaching, Mr. 
Sandford replied, 'We certainly expect Mr. Alexander to 
preach/ Mr. A. declared it to be out of the question, but 
Mr. S. continued to repeat, 6 We expect a sermon from Mr. 
Alexander, and no other/ Thus he continued the hoax, 
until the bell rang for public service, upon which I descended 
and was formally presented as the Bev. Mr. Alexander from 
Virginia. I never saw a man more surprised or relieved. 
We went to the church, and found a respectable number foi 
a week day and a busy season. At that time I used no 
notes in the pulpit, but being in a country where all sermons 



DR. EMMONS. 



231 



were read, I felt it to be incumbent on me to make my dis- 
courses as methodical and accurate as I could. And though 
I never could commit words so as to depend on my memory, 
I had long accustomed myself to follow trains of thought, 
and the regular array of an argument. I took as a text, 
i He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it 
is that loveth me/ I undertook to show 

L The foundation of love to Christ, as it relates both to 
the object and subject of the affection. 

II. The properties of love to Christ ; which I made to be 

1. Sincerity, 

2. Supremacy. 

3. Constancy. 

III. The evidences of love to Christ ; 

1. A desire of pleasing, and fear of offending. 

2. A desire of conformity to his character. 

3. A desire of communion, and sorrow on account 

of absence. 

4. A desire to promote his glory, and sorrow when he 

is dishonoured, or when his cause declines. 

" As I insisted strongly on the position that love must ter- 
minate on the true character of the object beloved, I gave 
them all great pleasure, as this showed that I did not hold 
to the selfish scheme of virtue. When I got into the chaise 
with the old Doctor, he made me quite ashamed with his 
laudation, and assured me there was nothing in the sermon 
which he did not approve. 

" The next day Dr. Emmons took me to a much greater 
distance, to a weekly lecture. The audience was small. 



232 



DB. EMMONS. 



My text was Luke xiv. 18, 6 But with one consent they all 
began to make excuse/ The next day, being the Fourth 
of July, he took me to a neighbouring town, where an ora- 
tion was to be delivered by a certain Dr. Manning, who had 
once resided in Virginia. The Doctor was greatly out of his 
element at this meeting, for the oration was rabidly demo- 
cratic, and the people assembled were generally of this party. 

" The next day was Saturday, and Dr. E. left home for 
the place of his appointment. During the visit he never at- 
tempted to enter into any controversy, but seemed rather to 
avoid all doctrinal discussion. He had a young man study- 
ing with him, who was principally occupied in writing two 
discourses for the Sabbath, and these, according to the 
custom, he read to his preceptor. I was present on one of 
these occasions. The main object of the sermon was to 
prove man's dependence on God for every thing, including 
every thought and emotion. After this exercise, the young 
man, whom I took to be very stupid, propounded to the 
Doctor this question : If man is dependent for all thoughts 
and feelings, and if the law of God requires him to be holy, 
while his thoughts are sinful, then does not God require the 
creature to be independent ? I wondered how he would an- 
swer it, when, after a few moments' pause, he turned to me 
and asked me how I should reply to the question. I begged 
to be excused from any such attempt, and so the matter 
went off without an explanation. 

:c In person, Dr. Emmons was a little inclined to be cor- 
pulent. His hair was thin, and his countenance rather 
florid than pale. His knowledge of the Southern States was 



DR. EMMONS. 



233 



imperfect. He had just published a sermon on the character 
of Jeroboam, which was considered excessively severe against 
Jefferson, who had just ascended the presidential chair ; yet, 
as far as I could judge, he cherished no malignity against 
any one, on.religious or political grounds/' 

We insert here, for the sake of connection, a statement 
found in another manuscript. " Old Dr. Emmons once said 
to me, in defending the bands and cocked hats which were 
then used in New England ; Clergymen, when they travel 
or go abroad, should have some badge of their profession. It 
preserves them from many unpleasant rencounters, and 
causes them to remember their sacred office. For/ added 
he, 6 when a clergyman thinks that he is not recognised as 
such, he is very apt to yield to unsuitable compliances ; and 
often, when he seeks to be incognito, he is known to all the 
company/ This is a sage remark."* 

In the frequent mention which Dr. Alexander was accus- 
tomed to make of this visit, he always spoke of him in high 
terms of respect ; while he entertained, as is well known, 
very different theological opinions. But it was characteristic 
of him to treat with great liberality, and in some respects 
with esteem and affection, those whom he at the same time 
regarded as seriously erroneous. In the next chapter we 
shall take up his narrative, in regard to Boston, the grand 
object of his curiosity. 



* MS. Life of the Rev. William Graham. 



CHAPTEE TENTH. 



1801. 

BTKW EXGLAXD J0T7EXEY CONTINUED — BOSTON — DE. ECEXEY — DE. MOESE — 
HAEYAED COLLEGE— IPS WIOH — DE. DANA — NEWBT7EYPOET — EXETEE — 

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE — DANIEL TVEBSTEE — SHELBUENE— -DE. PACXABD 

COMMENCEMENT AT PBINCETON — PHILADELPHIA — EETUEN TO THE COL- 
LEGE. 

I OBSERVED on approaching Boston," says he, "that 
few persons rode on horseback, and that I attracted no 
little attention, haYing my valise, overcoat and saddlebags, 
and a horse very different in form from those of New Eng- 
land ; for he was of English blood, and had been a racer in 
his time. I began to feel, as I commonly did when entering 
a city, a certain shyness, which led me to avoid the most fre- 
quented houses. When, therefore, I came to the City Hotel, 
and observed many men in uniform, and some with epau- 
lettes, I thought I would ride on further, and find a quiet 
house. But after proceeding some distance, I found that I 
had gone entirely through the town, and was on the way 
over the bridge to Cambridge. Here, however, I observed a 
sign, and as I meant only to leave my horse, I determined to 
stop, And indeed I found a quiet house, for the innkeeper 



BOSTON. 



235 



put my horse into the stable himself, and I saw no one about 
the premises. I felt that I was out of my latitude, and 
thought it was too late to present my letters. For Dr. 
Burnet, at Norwalk, had kindly given me an introduction to 
the Eev. Dr. Eckley, minister of the Old South. The uext 
day I went in search of this gentleman, and coming to a 
bookstore, the common refuge of strangers and loiterers, I re- 
ceived the necessary directions and proceeded to deliver my 
letter. 

" Dr. Eckley insisted that I should take up my abode 
with him, saying that the Eev. Henry Kollock of New 
Jersey had been his guest, but was now gone to Charles- 
town to spend a few days with Dr. Morse. After a little 
time, I returned to my hotel, paid my bill, and mounted my 
Rosinante, which I proceeded to have put up at the City 
Hotel. The Doctor informed me that it was the evening 
for the Boston Lecture, a series of discourses preached in 
turn by the clergy of Boston and vicinity. 

" Dr. Eckley was one of a class I had never known. 
He was refined, possessing great sensibility, punctiliously 
courteous, and talkative on all subjects. I accompanied 
him to the Thursday lecture, where about fifty persons were 
met, and where old Dr. Howard delivered a downright Arian 
sermon ; not, however, in a controversial way, but just as if 
all agreed with him. Indeed at that time all controversy 
was proscribed by the liberal party. After sermon I was 
presented to Dr. Morse, who greeted me cordially, and in- 
vited me to Charlestown. A dozen venerable looking clergy- 
men were present, some with fullbottomed white wigs. 



236 



BOSTON CLERGY. 



Henry Kollock, to whom I was next introduced, was one of 
the most affectionate men I have ever known : his head 
seemed to be for ever overflowing with kind feelings. 

" Dr. Morse insisted that I should go the next evening and 
preach at his lecture, which I agreed to do, but soon repented, 
for my spirits had sunk below par. I however went, and 
preached, but was much disturbed by the glare of the lights ; 
for chandeliers were then all. the fashion. I did as well as I 
could, using no notes : the fact was I had none with me. 
On the Sabbath I had engaged to preach for Dr. Eckley in 
the morning, and for Dr. Morse in the afternoon. Poor 
Kollock was almost torn to pieces, in the anxiety to secure 
his pulpit services, which were something new in Boston ; 
for in composition and delivery he followed the French 
school, and having an impassioned manner produced an ex- 
traordinary impression upon his audience. He divided his 
labours among all sorts. Indeed there was as yet no public 
line of demarcation among the clergy. One might learn 
with ease what each man believed, or rather did not believe, 
for few positive opinions were expressed by the liberal 
party. Dr. Kirkland was said to be a Socinian, as was Mr. 
Popham ; and Dr. Howard an Arian. Dr. Eckley had pro- 
fessed to be an Edwardean, but he came out, after my visit, 
a high Arian. Mr. Eliot was an Arian, Mr. Emerson a 
Unitarian of some sort, and Dr. Lathrop a Universalist. 
Dr. Freeman, one of the first who departed from orthodoxy, 
was the lowest of all, a mere humanitarian. He still used 
the book of Common Prayer, altered so as to suit his 
opinions. Dr Morse was considered a rigid Trinitarian. 



HARVARD. 



237 



Dr. Harris, of Dorchester, was reckoned a low Arminian, 
and became a thorough Unitarian. 

"Harvard College was not yet fully under Unitarian 
influence, but was leaning in that direction. President 
Willard was thought to hold the old Puritan doctrine, but 
had no zeal for orthodoxy. Dr. Tappan, professor of the- 
ology, was in his writings a Oalvinist of the school of Watts 
and Doddridge ; a very amiable man, of prepossessing man- 
ners. Dr. Pierson was professor of Hebrew ; he was much 
opposed to Unitarianism, but did not possess great influence. 
All were for making little of doctrinal differences. As soon 
as the liberal men had caused this to be settled as a princi- 
ple, they devised a way to introduce the ablest Unitarians 
into the College, as fast as vacancies occurred. "When Dr. 
Willard died, Kirkland, a man of genius and eloquence, was 
put into his place. Even at the time of my visit, all the 
young men of talents in Harvard were Unitarians. 

" Dr. Morse took charge of me for the most part. He 
conducted me to the Commencement, and introduced me as 
the President of a college in Virginia. At my first arrival, 
there was a laughable mistake about this presidency. I had 
never intended to mention my connection with a college, 
and I knew that Hampden Sidney was perfectly unknown. 
But Coffin had told Dr. Burnet that I had been President 
of Hampden Sidney, and Burnet in introducing me to Dr. 
Eckley, had written it Camden Sidney. This letter, Dr. E. 
showed to Dr. Morse, and the American geographer was 
nonplussed ; he had never heard of the College. There was 
no way to clear up the difficulty but by applying to me. 



238 



DR. DANA. 



But by this, the matter was little mended, for Dr. Morse in 
his Geography had represented Hampden Sidney as nearly 
extmet ; my honour as a President was not therefore very 
flattering. All titles of this sort, however, go for much in 
Xew England, and I was often placed before my seniors and 
betters. I was invited to dine with the professors and stu- 
dents, but Dr. Holmes, the author of the Annals, took me 
to his house. 

" I preached a number of times for Dr. Eckley in the 
Old South, and two or three times for Dr. Morse, in Charles- 
town, but for no others. The principal surprise at hearing 
me preach was, that I, a Virginian, should avow such doc- 
trine. A certain Judge Peabody, after one of my discourses, 
expressed this opinion, adding that he had supposed almost 
all the educated Virginians to be Deists. 

" In the Old South Church I found a lingering relic of 
AVhitefield's times, in a convert of his day, a lady between 
eighty and ninety years of age, who belonged to a prayer- 
meeting, founded then, which had been kept up weekly, 
until within a few years. Of this she was now the only 
surviving member. The celebrated Samuel Adams, signer 
of the Declaration of Independence, was a member of the 
Old South, but too infirm to come out. Having spent a 
week or ten days in Boston, I mounted my horse and went 
on my way towards Xewburyport." 

At Ipswich he found Dr. Dana, father of the present ven- 
erable Dr. Dana. He had been engaged in a controversy re- 
specting the use of the means of grace ; in which he and 
Dr. Tappan, of Cambridge, were the leading writers on one 



ROWLEY NEWBURYPORT. 



239 



side, against Dr. Spring and Dr. Emmons on the other. We 
here resume the fragment of autobiography : 

u I preached at Bowleg the day after I left Ipswich, 
and saw Mrs. Bradford and family. It is pleasant to meet 
with evidence of having been the instrument of good to any 
one, after having remained in ignorance of it for almost 
half a century. The sister of Dr. Coggswell informs me 
that she was present at that sermon, and then received 
her first religious impressions. Mr. Bradford had been in 
his lifetime a zealous advocate for the new opinions in the- 
ology, and his people had caught the itch of disputation. 
Two of them, of whom one was a deacon, came to the house 
where I was entertained, that I might settle a metaphysical 
difference which they had been discussing for some time. It 
was whether there is any thing in the mind besides exercises ? 
I found it very difficult to comprehend what they meant ; 
for at that time, I had never heard of what is called the 
c Exercise Scheme/ It occurred to me however, that my 
best course was to get them into the dispute before me, 
which I did by asking questions of one and the other. I 
was greatly amused with the matter and manner of the con- 
troversy, and began to understand the subject in debate. 

" The next day I went into Newburyport. My letter 
directed me first to Dr. Spring's ; but when I came to the 
house, I found them under a great and sudden affliction. 
The next clergyman on my list was the Rev. Daniel Dana, 
a son of the pastor at Ipswich. He was about my own age, 
and received me kindly. There was a considerable excite- 
ment in the town, where the Free Will Baptists had just 



240 



THEOLOGY. 



commenced operations, and made a number of converts. 1 
was informed by Mr. Dana, that although there were eight 
Congregational churches, no two ministers agreed in their 
theological system. One, an Englishman, was an old-fash- 
ioned Calvinist ; another, a disciple of Gill, was called an 
Antinomian : a third was a moderate Calvinist ; a fourth 
an ultra Hopkinsian ; a fifth an Arminian, and a sixth a 
high Arian. These are all that I remember, and I preached 
for them all. Indeed, they kept me so constantly at work 
that I broke down towards the last, and was obliged to cease 
on account of a pain in my breast. In consequence of the 
affliction in Dr. Spring's family, I saw but little of him ; 
otherwise I should have had a time of severe sifting, as the 
Doctor was accustomed by a train of logical reasoning, to 
push his opponent to the conclusion to which he wished to 
bring him." 

One day Mr. A. dined at the house of Dr. Coffin, the 
father of his late travelling companion. A clergyman pres- 
ent (for the manuscript leaves it obscure whether it was 
Dr. Coffin or another), entered into discussion with him 
upon the reigning topics of the day, and supposed him to 
concede that that which renders an action morally good, is 
its tendency to produce the greatest amount of happiness. 
" I told him that I did not believe it. I maintained that 
holiness has an intrinsic excellence, distinct from its ten- 
dency to promote happiness, an excellence greater than that 
of happiness itself. I added that the animal creation has a 
constitution which renders them susceptible of happiness, 
and yet that constitution is not moral ; that many inanimate 



EXETER. 



241 



things have a tendency to produce happiness, which never- 
theless does not stamp them with the character of virtue. 
He looked me full in the face and said, ' Where were you 
educated ? ' I replied that what little education I possessed 
was obtained among the wild mountains of Virginia." 

Leaving Xewburyport, he journeyed towards Exeter. A 
trait of the times is not without entertainment. "On the 
way," says he, " I was overtaken by a man on horseback, 
whom I immediately knew to be a clergyman, by the three 
cornered hat which all country ministers still wore, when 
they appeared in public. Dr. Eekley told me that even in 
Boston, when he visited the older people, he was obliged to 
put on the cocked hat, as they considered the round hat too 
c buckish ' for a clergyman. The stranger informed me that 
he had been out £ candidating/ that is, preaching as a candi- 
date in a vacant church. Before we reached Exeter, he turned 
aside to visit a rich old farmer, and to fill his saddle-bags 
with cucumbers from the garden. In those days, a pastor 
in New England who had been dismissed from his people 
was in a situation little better than if deposed. Poor Mr. 
M. N. lived in a dilapidated house, where I visited him, 
and where there seemed to be no supplies but the cucumbers 
and some rusty bacon. I greatly commiserated his condi- 
tion ; for he was a man of learning, and his wife was a well- 
educated and refined woman, of great simplicity. 

u The Phillips Academy, at Exeter, was the most cele- 
brated institution of the kind in New England. After 
spending a week in Exeter, Mr. Bowland, the pastor, ac- 
companied me to Portsmouth. I preached here several 
17 



FATHER OF WEBSTER. 



times (for Dr. Buckminster) in the week-evenings, and tc 
full houses. I found the Doctor an exceedingly agreeable 
man ; well-informed if not learned, orthodox, without any 
ultraisms, but not abounding in zeal. He introduced me to 
his son, who had been graduated at the late Commencement, 
and was the pride of Harvard. He was full of anecdotes, 
such as were current at Cambridge, and which were mostly 
intended to ridicule evaogelical opinions." 

From Exeter he directed his course toward the mountains 
of New Hampshire, and was soon in the midst of romantic 
scenery, which revived the associations of his youth. This is 
a proper place to insert some paragraphs from a publication 
made by Dr. Alexander in the year 1850, which derives ad- 
ditional interest from the recent death of our great states- 
man, since these pages were commenced. 

" At Harvard, I had the pleasure of being introduced to 
President Willard, Professors Tappan, Pearson, and others. 
I was also able to attend the commencement at Dartmouth 
College. In passing from Massachusetts over the mountains 
of New Hampshire, I lodged within a few rods of the house 
of a farmer, the father of the Honourable Daniel Webster. 
The old gentleman came over to the tavern in the morning, 
and chatted for half an hour. Among other things he said 
that he had a son at Dartmouth, who was about to take his 
bachelor's degree. The father was large in frame, high- 
breasted and broad-shouldered, and, like his son, had heavy 
eyebrows. He was an affable man, of sound sense and con- 
siderable information, and expressed a wish that I might be 
acquainted with his son, of whom it was easy to see that he 
was proud. 



COMMENCEMENT. 



243 



u Arriving at Hanover, the seat of the College, a day or 
two before the commencement, I put up my horse and se- 
cured a room at one of the two public houses. On the morn- 
ing of the commencement I presented my letters to President 
Wheelock, and was received with a profusion of ceremonious 
inclinations ; for it was pleasantly said that the President 
suffered no man to have the last bow. This, it was reported, 
was put to the test by a person of some assurance, who 
undertook to compete with him in the contest of politeness. 
He accordingly took his leave, bowed himself out of the man- 
sion, and continued to bow as long as he was upon the premi- 
ses ; but the President followed him to the gate, and re- 
mained in possession of the field. Dr. Wheelock was a man 
of learning, especially in the department of history. It was 
said that he had a great historical work in preparation, but 
none such ever appeared. 

" When I afterwards returned to the tavern, I was sur- 
prised to find the whole house filled with a strange and mot- 
ley multitude. My own room was occupied by a company of 
gamblers, and the usual circle of lookers-on. I loudly as- 
serted my claim to the room, threw myself on my reserved 
rights, and made appeal to the host. He declared himself 
unable to turn the people out ; the Green Mountain Boys 
appeared to be good-natured, but perfectly impracticable. 
At this juncture I began to consider my situation quite de- 
plorable, when relief came from an unexpected quarter. A 
note was delivered to me from a gentleman of the village, 
inviting me to become his guest ; by singular resolution he 
had kept exclusive possession of his house, the only one in 



244 



DANIEL WEBSTER. 



Hanover exempt from invasion. I found ample room and 
hospitality. It appeared that a letter from Salem, Massa- 
chusetts, had named me to this worthy friend, as a clergy- 
man of Virginia, making a first journey through New Eng- 
land. In this house I made the acquaintance of the only 
other guest, the Keverend Theophilus Packard, now Doctor 
Packard ; whom I accompanied to his home in Shelburne, 
and there spent a very happy, and as I think, profitable 
fortnight. 

" At the Dartmouth commencement, General Eaton, of 
eccentric memory, was marshal of the day, and was unceasing 
in busying himself about the order of the procession to the 
church ; giving each graduate, of every college, the place 
due to his seniority. Among the speakers was young Daniel 
Webster. Little dreaming of his future career in law, elo 
quence and statesmanship, he pronounced a discourse on the 
recent discoveries in Chemistry, especially those of Lavoi- 
sier, then newly made public." 

As the introduction of this extract has carried us a little 
further forward than we intended, it will be necessary to 
go back and glance at a few incidents of the road to Han- 
over. 

" The tavern belonged to Capt. Webster, though he 
lived in a large house a few rods distant. The morning that 
I was to set out to cross the mountains, two clergymen 
drove up, both alumni of Dartmouth, and on their way to 
the Commencement. One of these was Mr. (now the Kev. 
Dr.) G-illett, of Hallowell, in Maine. They were in a chaise i 
and I was on horseback, but they were very willing to make 



FURTHER TRAVELS. 



frequent exchanges. Mr. Grillett was an adept in meta- 
physical discussion, and we were often in danger of upsetting 
the chaise among the rocks, from being so intent on our dis- 
cussion. The other clergyman held the same opinions, but 
had little of his companion's acuteness. 

" On the side of a mountain, for we had many to cross, 
we came to a house early in the afternoon, which was the 
only place for a great distance where we could obtain lodg- 
ings ; here, therefore, we determined to remain over night. 
On conversing with the woman of the house, I found that 
she had recently obtained experience of religion, though she 
had heard no preaching. Her eldest son had gone out into 
the forest to cut some fire-wood, when the limb of a tree fell 
on his head and broke his skull. He was brought home dead. 
For a fortnight the mother wept day and night, and was in- 
consolable. At length it came strongly into her mind that 
there was no use in grieving for the child, but that she had 
great cause to grieve for her sins. From this time she began 
to experience a change in her feelings. She ceased to mourn 
for her loss, and sorrowed for her guilt, until God manifested 
himself as reconciled through Jesus Christ. As the people 
living on the mountain were entirely destitute of preaching, 
we proposed to have the neighbours collected in the evening ; 
when Mr. Grillett preached to them on the doctrine of 
Election. 

" Next day we took the road to Enfield, a Shaker village, 
as we were all desirous to see and converse with this strange 
people. We arrived about noon, and found all the shops 
closed, as the men were out clearing new ground ; with the 



246 



SHELBURNE. 



exception of the Elders, who never put their hands to any 
labour/' 

It is a fact not generally known, that shortly after his 
return home, and through the influence of Judge Niles, Mr. 
Alexander received the appointment of Phillips Professor of 
Theology in Dartmouth College. The book of the Trustees 
shows that this election took place at the Annual Meeting 
in August, 1802. From Hanover he went to Shelburne, 
upon an invitation of the Kev. Mr. Packard, afterwards Dr. 
Packard. " I was the more willing to do this/' he writes, 
"as Mr. P. had just received a letter from home, informing 
him that a revival had commenced in one part of his parish. 
At Westminster, we found, very appropriately, an Assembly 
of Divines. The Congregational ministers of New Hamp- 
shire were met in General Association. During my stay of 
a fortnight with my friend Packard, he never preached once 
in his own church. Besides the services of the Sabbath, we 
had meetings on week days in several parts of the congrega- 
tion. We also visited from house to house, where there were 
any under serieus impressions. One thing in the exercises 
and conduct of the awakened surprised me. They sat still 
and believed it improper to pray or use any means except 
hearing, until they received the gift of a new heart. I 
preached as usual, and exhorted inquirers to pray, read, &c. 
Two cases among the awakened I must mention, because 
they were brought to my remembrance many years after- 
ward, in a very pleasing way. At the house of a Mr. Fisk, 
we found his wife and daughter in the deepest distress, yet 
using no means, but sitting still and waiting for the convert- 



REVIVAL. 



247 



ing influences of the Spirit. Both were convinced of their lost 
estate and utter helplessness, taking all the blame to them- 
selves. The next day, as the assembly could not be accom- 
modated within, I preached in an orchard. Before I began 
I perceived Mrs. Fisk walking briskly towards the table on 
which I stood, and the first glance I had of her countenance 
assured me that her feelings had undergone a change. I 
intimated this to Mr. Packard, who immediately after the 
service spoke to her and found that she was full of joy and 
love. Many years after this, the Eev. Pliny Fisk, the 
missionary to Palestine, called upon me, telling me that he 
came at the request of his mother, who had enjoined it upon 
him, if he ever should be within fifty miles of me, to make 
himself known as a son of the woman who was converted 
while I was in Shelburne. 

" On another day we stopped at the house of an old man, 
also named Fisk, who had a son with a large family living in 
the same house with him. One of the children, about nine 
or ten years of age, was under serious impressions, and was 
called up for us to converse with him. After a longer period 
than the one above mentioned, and long after I had known 
the Bev. Dr. Ezra Fisk, of Groshen, he one day asked me if 
I remembered talking with a boy in Shelburne, describing 
the circumstances. And on my replying that I did, he said, 
' I am that boy/ Harvey Fisk, once my pupil, and after- 
wards much engaged in the service of the American Sunday 
School Union, informed me that another person by the name 
of Fisk, who became a minister and was eminent for his 
piety, dated his conversion from the same revival. 



248 



NEW YORK NEW JERSEY. 



" The people of Shelburne seemed reluctant to part with 
Hie. The pastor and a number of others accompanied me 
to Conway, the next town, where I was to preach for old Mr. 
Emerson, who had been unable to walk for many months. 
He was a meek and pious man, of the old school of Puritans, 
and an uncle of the Emerson of Boston, who became a 
Unitarian. He told me that the father of the latter was a 
pious and orthodox man ; and that when he had reminded 
his nephew of this, the reply was, that if his father had 
lived to this time, he would in like manner have changed his 
opinions. Here I found many sincere and benevolent per- 
sons ; but I could observe that I was no longer under the 
cloud which showered its blessings over Shelburne. Leaving 
the higher parts of Massachusetts, I descended to the valley 
of the Connecticut, and soon found myself in Northampton, 
the town made memorable by President Edwards. At Hat- 
field I called on Dr. Lyman, whom I had seen before/' At 
Hartford he again visited Dr. Strong, who engaged him to 
write for the Connecticut Magazine. At his request, Dr. 
George Baxter contributed to this work an account of the 
great revival in the South. By easy stages he continued 
his homeward way, through New Haven and the towns upon 
the Sound to the city of New- York. Here he preached on 
a Lord's Day evening in the Brick Church, for Dr. Bodgers. 
The next day was partly spent at Newark, with the venera- 
ble Dr. McWhorter, after which he proceeded to Elizabeth- 
town, and visited the Bev. Henry Kollock, at the house of 
his father. It was a favourite plan of Mr. Kollock to have 
his friend settled in the congregation of Orange, but the 
steps taken by him were unsuccessful. 



COMMENCEMENT AT PEINCETON. 



249 



Princeton was visited in the return, and the following 
narrative, which has been already printed, is here in place. 

" Princeton was taken in my journey homeward. In this 
town, likewise, it was no easy matter to find a place to lay 
my head, so great was the concourse of strangers. But my 
friend Mr. Henry Kollock, afterwards distinguished as a 
preacher, and who had recently been a tutor in the college, 
kindly introduced me to the house of old Mrs. Knox, where 
the students of divinity had their abode. 

" The appearance of the Trustees and Professors struck 
me with awe. I seriously question whether such a body of 
men, for dignity and importance, as then composed the 
Board could have been found in any part of the country. I 
need only name Dr. McWhorter, Elias Boudinot, LL. D., 
John Bayard, Esq., Dr. John Woodhull, the Hon. William 
Paterson, Dr. Green, the Kev. James F. Armstrong, the 
Hon. Kichard Stockton, Governor Bloomfield, and Judge 
Wallace. The class then commencing Bachelors of Arts 
included the late Mr. Biddle, Mr. Kobert Goodloe Harper, 
the Rev. Andrew Thompson, Mr. Henry E. Watkins, Pro- 
fessor Cook of Kentucky, the Eev. Dr. Johnson of Newburgh, 
and the Rev. Dr. J ohn McDowell of Philadelphia. 

" The President, Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith, I had met 
in Philadelphia, six or seven years before ; and certainly, 
viewing him as in his meridian, I have never seen his equal 
in elegance of person and manners. Dignity and winning 
grace were remarkably united in his expressive countenance. 
His large blue eye had a penetration which commanded the 
respect of all beholders. Notwithstanding the want of 



250 



COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY. 



health, his cheek had a bright rosy tint, and his smile 
lighted up the whole face. The tones of his elocution had a 
thrilling peculiarity, and this was more remarkable in his 
preaching, where it is well known that he imitated the 
elaborate polish and oratorical glow of the French school. 
Little of this impression can be derived from his published 
discourses, which disappoint those who do not know the 
charm of his delivery. 

" On this occasion Dr. Smith appeared to great advan- 
tage, for though he had passed his acme, he was erect and 
full of spirits. The formality used in the collation of de- 
grees does not appear to be of much importance, but with 
the sonorous voice and imposing mien of President Smith, it 
added dignity to the scene, and left an indelible impression. 

" The College of New Jersey at that time contained some 
young men who were far above the ordinary level of attain- 
ments ; distinguished for a high sense of honour, which pre- 
served them from the despicable courses in which misguided 
youth sometimes seek distinction. It was gratifying to ob- 
serve, that these young men were the favourites of the Pre- 
sident, and that, in their turn, they were strongly attached 
to him. Some of them still live, to reflect honour on their 
Alma Mater ; but I will not name those who occur to me, 
lest I do an unintentional injustice to the rest. Some, alas, 
are extinct ; but some may be found shining as stars, with 
a mild but brilliant lustre, in the civil as well as the ecclesi- 
astical firmament. 

" Doctor J ohn Maclean, a native of Scotland, after pur- 
suing the path of science with indefatigable zeal, so far as it 



PROFESSOR MACLEAN. 



251 



was open to him in Edinburgh and Glasgow, visited France, 
that he might avail himself of the increased facilities afforded 
for physical researches in the schools of Paris. After accom- 
plishing this purpose, Dr. Maclean emigrated to America, 
in 1795, and became one of the most popular professors who 
ever graced the college. He was at home almost equally in 
all branches of science ; Chemistry, Natural History, Ma- 
thematics and Natural Philosophy, successively claimed his 
attention. It is believed that he was one of the first to re- 
produce in America the views of the new French school in 
Chemistry : on this subject he waged a successful war with 
Dr. Priestley, the great champion for phlogiston. No one 
could attend a commencement at Princeton, without perceiv- 
ing that Professor Maclean was, as it were, the soul of the 
faculty. He enjoyed the attachment of all the students, 
unless perhaps some of the idle and abandoned ; it is these 
who, in all colleges, display the opposite temper. 

" At the time of my visit, Dr. Maclean was in the prime 
of life, a gentleman of fine appearance, polished manners, 
and a disposition remarkable for kindness and cordiality. He 
is now remembered, as the students' friend, with sincere and 
tender attachment, by many of his surviving pupils. It is 
no part of these paragraphs, to follow any of the persons 
named into their subsequent life, but only to note these inci- 
dents of a day which was full of interest. After the other 
honorary degrees had been announced, the Trustees, by a 
consultation at the moment on the stage, agreed to confer 
on the writer the degree of Master of Arts ; an act, which, 
it seems, was never entered on their minutes ; and in 



252 



RETURN TO VIRGINIA. 



the evening he was initiated into the American Whig 
Society/' * On this occasion he was accompanied to Prince- 
ton by Mr. Kollock, and Mr. Beasley, afterwards Provost of 
the University of Pennsylvania. 

In Philadelphia he preached for Dr. Linn, whose health 
was impaired. In Baltimore he stopped with his old pre- 
ceptor, Dr. Priestley, already mentioned in these pages. He 
was further detained to supply the pulpit of Dr. Alison, who 
had sunk into a melancholy state. The impression made by 
these services, as will presently appear, was such as made it 
likely for a while that his lot might be cast in Baltimore ; 
and the remembrance of them was long cherished in that 
city. After this he hastened to Hopewell, where arrange- 
ments were made for his approaching marriage. 

In the retrospect of this tour, he was accustomed to 
speak of it as one of the most agreeable and instructive por- 
tions of his life. That part of it which brought him into 
acquaintance with New England, its clergy, its manners and 
its revivals, he always recurred to with pleasure. To this 
may be traced the remarkable absence of all prejudice and 
rancour which marked his feelings and language towards the 
churches of that land. Of their hospitality he used to 
speak in warm terms, and as to the inquisitiveness which he 
had been taught to expect from the people, he declared it to 
be less than he had encountered in his native State. And 
although he spent but a few months in that region, the mode 
of travelling which he employed, and the intimate relations 



* Princeton Magazine, 1850. 



CALL TO BALTIMORE. 



253 



he sustained to ministers and private families, afforded far 
better opportunity for observation than a much longer time, 
passed in the modern methods of speedy transit, and sojourn 
at places of public entertainment. In moments of relaxa- 
tion at the fireside, his fund of anecdote concerning this tour 
was inexhaustible ; and he loved to recall these scenes on 
occasions when he was visited by friends from that part of 
the country. 

His return to Prince Edward and to the College was 
hailed with much cordiality, and the old president's house 
was put into repair, in expectation of his new relations. 
During the winter of 1801-2, he spent most of his time 
in Charlotte, under the hospitable roof of Major Eead. 
His preaching labours were abundant, and were attended 
with some success. 

In the year 1801, on his return from New England, he 
passed a night, as has been said, at the house of Dr. Priestly, 
who was at that time a member of the First Church in Balti- 
more. As Dr. Alison, the pastor, was then in feeble health, 
Mr. Alexander, somewhat reluctantly, consented to remain 
and preach, as there was but one intervening day before the 
Sabbath. Early on Monday morning he proceeded on his 
journey, but having acquaintances in Alexandria he stopped 
there, and found the Presbytery of Baltimore in session ; 
before whom he preached at their request. Before he left 
the place, letters were received both by himself and Dr. 
Muir, requesting him to return to Baltimore and preach 
for several weeks. At the urgent request of Dr. Muir and 



254 



CALL TO BALTIMORE. 



other clergymen, he complied. The result was, that aftef 
his arrival at home he received a call to be the pastor of 
that church. 



CHAPTEE ELEVENTH. 



1802—1806, 



MARRIAGE — COLLEGE LABOURS — PREACHING CALL TO PHILADELPHIA — SET- 
TLEMENT IN PINE-STREET CHURCH — LABOURS IN PHILADELPHIA — 
EVANGELICAL SOCIETY— ASSOCIATES STUDIES — PROGRESS. 



N the fifth day of April, 1802, he was married to 



^ Janetta Waddel, daughter of the Eev. Dr. Waddel of 
the county of Louisa. It may be safely said that no man 
was ever more blessed in such a connection. If the un- 
common beauty and artless grace of this lady were strong 



i attractions in the days of youth, there were higher qualities 
which made the union inexpressibly felicitous during almost 
half a century. For domestic wisdom, self-sacrificing affec- 
tion, humble piety, industry, inexhaustible stores of vivacious 
conversation, hospitality to his friends, sympathy with his 
cares, and love to their children, she was such a gift as God 
bestows only on the most favoured. While during a large 
part of middle life he was subject to a variety of maladies, 
she was preserved in unbroken health. When his spirits 
flagged, she was always prompt and skilful to cheer and 




256 



LABOURS IN VIRGINIA. 



comfort. And as bis days were filled with spiritual and 
literary toils, she relieved him from the whole charge of 
domestic affairs. Without the show of any conjugal bland- 
ishments, there was through life a perfect coincidence of 
views, and a respectful affection which may be recommended 
as a model. It pleased God to spare to him this faithful 
ministry of revering love to the very last, and when the 
earthly tie was broken to make the separation short. 

In the month of May, 1802, he removed to Hampden 
Sidney, and resumed his charge of the college. Mr. Kice 
was still his principal coadjutor, as Mr. Speece had removed 
to a pastoral charge in Maryland. Of the ensuing years we 
have slender records. Their colour was probably not very 
different from those which have been noticed. Besides the 
perpetual demand for pulpit labours, in a region where to 
this day ministers travel far to preach the Word, there was 
a necessity for unwearied application to the difficult branches 
of public instruction. His field of knowledge was enlarging 
its limits, and his opinions on all subjects were taking their 
settled forms. Having resided in the same region many years 
since, we can testify that his reputation as a preacher was 
extraordinary. Making all the abatements which may be 
needful, it must still be acknowledged that for vigour, anima- 
tion and charm of delivery, his efforts at this time were sur- 
passed by none during his whole career. His health had been 
invigorated, he had acquired a confidence which had been 
wanting in his earlier efforts, his person was attractive, and 
the vehemence and decoration of discourse were greater than 
in later years. 

18 



KENTUCKY REVIVAL. 



257 



The letters of this time which remain are few indeed ; 
which enhances the value of that which follows, short as it is 

MR. ALEXANDER TO MRS. GRAHAM. 

"Hampden Sidney July 19, 1803. 

u Dear Sister : — 

" By John Chavis I received yours, and pass ovei 
all the rest to answer that part in which you express some 
uneasiness at my entertaining doubts respecting the genuine- 
ness of the Kentucky revival. 

"In answer, I observe, that I have never at any time 
expressed such doubts, though it is more than probable that 
I have said what some would suppose to indicate such a state 
of mind. I have not doubted that much good has been 
done in that country, and that a considerable number have 
experienced true religion. All these effects I attribute 
without hesitation to God. And in proportion as I obtain 
evidence of the existence of such effects, I am confirmed in 
the opinion that the Spirit of God has been poured out. 
But I have supposed, and now think, that those extraordi- 
nary bodily appearances furnish no evidence of a saving 
operation of the Holy Spirit. If I should not be able to ac- 
count for them upon common and natural principles, I yet 
have no right to ascribe them to the immediate agency of 
divine power, unless they are among effects promised to be 
produced. If no stress be laid on them, I have nothing to 
say in relation to them. If they furnish no evidence in 
favour of a work being of God, they can, I presume, afford 



258 



CALL TO THE NOKTH. 



none that it is not. If they are ranked with tears, crying, 
&c., the common effects of religious passions, I am neither 
offended with them, nor am I much delighted with them. I 
have moreover supposed, and do still suppose, that many 
measures were adopted by the conductors of this work, 
which were imprudent and unwarrantable. When people 
are under strong religious impressions, there is more need of 
regulation and restraint than of encouragement. To give an 
instance- — six or ten persons exhorting at once — five hundred 
praying as loud as they can cry ; these things occurred 
in Carolina. My opinion is that the fruit of this revival 
will by no means answer the appearances, and that the de- 
clension will be so apparent, that the unbelieving will be 
greatly hardened. In all these opinions, however, I have a 
reserve. I have not been an eye-witness to the work ; if I 
were, I might judge differently of many things. 

" I remain your affectionate brother, 

"A. A." 

" About this time/' says he, " the conduct of the students 
became very irregular, and I grew weary of governing them. 
I had been invited in the spring of 1806, to visit the Third 
Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, made vacant by the 
removal of Dr. Milledoler to New- York.' 15 I declined the 
invitation, but in September I was again requested to visit 
the city, as there was no hope of fixing upon any other 
candidate. This came just at the time when our students 

* The call was approved by the Presbytery, Oct. 22d, 1806. 



RETROSPECT OF VIRGINIA. 



259 



were in a state of much turbulence and insubordination. 
Without consulting any of my friends, I set out for Phila- 
delphia, where I preached for two Sabbaths as well as during 
the week/' The result was a unanimous call to the church 
in Pine Street. Immediately on his return home he pro- 
cured a meeting of the Presbytery, and the Trustees of 
the College met on the same day, when he requested to 
be dismissed from both charges. In all this proceeding he 
seems to have acted with much decision of purpose ; so that 
his friends did not venture to lay any obstacle in his way, 
while they were by no means convinced that he was wise in 
the removal. The step was an important one, as it severed 
liim from his native State, and led the way to those more 
important engagements as a theological instructor, for which 
Providence had all along been preparing him. 

In subsequent years, and even to the close of his life, he 
recurred to these years of ministry in Virginia with fond 
emotion. They were connected with his most animating 
labours and most visible success. He never could cease to 
lament the loss of that peculiar warmth and cordiality which 
belonged to Southern Christians ; and he was often heard to 
say, that although he believed he had attained greater use- 
fulness by his removal, he had sustained a great loss as to 
personal and social comfort. In all those things which at- 
tract the observation of the public, these were his best days. 
An exuberant hilarity made his companionship delightful, 
as will be readily believed by those who remember the clear 
loud laugh even of his latter years. The circumstances in 
which he had grown up in his early ministry, among a 



260 



CRITICAL TIME. 



number of active and inquiring minds, rendered controversy 
inevitable ; and we can recall the days in which debates 
on theological topics were carried to all the lengths of ex- 
citement, which are not inconsistent with good nature and 
Christian friendship. We regard the period which we now 
bring to a close, as that in which, with regard to every impor- 
tant trait and faculty, his mind and character took their 
form. Wider range of knowledge, richer stores of accumu- 
lation, sounder experience, keener sagacity, more prophetic 
forecast, there may have come with advancing years, but in 
whatsoever can attract in the man, or impress in the preacher, 
he was just now at a point of culmination. 

Another remark is still more obvious ; this was the 
eventful period of his life. From this time forward, and es- 
pecially after the single remove to New Jersey, there was no 
more change of place or occupation, but life flowed on in a 
placid current. Up to this time on the contrary, events had 
followed one another in very rapid succession. Indeed, from 
his very boyhood, he may be said to have been in a continual 
change. This served in a very remarkable degree to form 
his character, to enlarge his views, to afford sides of approach 
to various persons and influences, and to redeem him for all 
his years of study from every thing like the narrowness, 
pedantry and stiffness of the schools and the closet. As it 
regards the most important of all qualifications, it may be 
affirmed without hesitation, that these were years of spiritual 
advancement. He was incessantly engaged in efforts to do 
good as an instructor of youth and as a preacher, in public 
and private. The savour of his unobtrusive piety remained 



JOURNEY. 



261 



as a holy fragrance in that part of the church, long after he 
had removed from it, and a few aged persons still survive, 
who love to relate how his face seemed to shine from acts 
of private communion, and how his discourse, even more 
freely than in later years, broke forth in eloquent and pa- 
thetic appeals upon divine subjects. We are induced to 
believe that the very trains of thought, which went to con- 
stitute those practical sermons, which were singularly ad- 
mirable for the intertexture of doctrine and experience, were 
constructed during the meditations and labours of this period. 
By all this process, Grod was preparing him for the important 
post, at which his closing years were to be spent. 

Having determined to leave Virginia, Mr. Alexander 
hastened to effect a speedy settlement in his new home. 
His little family had already been taken to Hopewell, and 
did not return to Prince Edward. 

We have happily recovered a letter to Mrs. Graham, which 
supplies some facts of this period. " We set out from Dr. 
Waddel's," so he writes in 1807, "on November 24th, and 
reached Philadelphia on the 8th of December ; the roads were 
deep and the weather unfavourable. We were detained two 
days in Fauquier by high water, and two more at Leesburg 
by bad roads. At the last mentioned place, Mr. Mines is 
settled, but his situation is by no means comfortable. His 
expectations have not been realized, either as to support 
or usefulness. We staid at his house, and were treated with 
the greatest kindness. There are here some excellent Chris- 
tians, and upon the whole, the village contains as many re- 
spectable families as any one of the same size in Virginia. 



PROVIDENTIAL MEETING. 



" Before I left Prince Edward, I wrote to the people 
here to meet me with a carriage at Little York, expecting 
to arrive there by the first day of December ; but we were so 
much retarded by the causes already stated, that we were 
still in Virginia at the appointed time. After passing 
Fredericktown a few miles, the axle-tree of our carriage 
snapped in two, and we were obliged to walk half a mile 
back to get to a house, and to contrive some means of get- 
ting the carriage to Fredericktown to be mended. We felt 
very little disconcerted, although the prospect was gloomy. 
I left Janetta and the children in the house, and took a 
young man back with me to the carriage. We were en- 
gaged in fastening it as well as we could, when I lifted up 
my eyes and saw an empty carriage approaching. As soon 
as I saw it I said, c There is the carriage from Philadelphia, 
which was to meet us ! ' And so it was. We now under- 
stood the reason why our axle-tree broke ; for half a mile 
before us there was an ugly little river which had been much 
swollen by the rains, and which we should have crossed with 
danger, our horses being jaded. Besides, on that very night 
a very heavy snow began to fall, through which we could 
have made no progress without an excellent driver and good 
horses ; and we were much pleased to have it in our power 
to send Scipio home from this place instead of taking him 
further, as something might have happened to him. So this 
little disaster, as it seemed at first, gave us much pleasure 
in the end. The remainder of our journey was dreadful, as 
to roads and weather, but we suffered no injury. Janetta 
wearied herself in carrying William more than was necessary 



SLAVERY. 



263 



but she and the children remained perfectly well, and through 
God's blessing are so still. As for myself, I caught a violent 
cold in Leesburg which affected my breast very much, as I 
had much preaching to do upon my arrival here. Living 
in a large city has in it many things agreeable to me^ and 
some which are not. My principal objection to it is, that I 
am not sufficiently master of my own time ; but this incon- 
venience is of course greater just now than it will be here- 
after. Our people are, with few exceptions, of the middling 
class. They do not affect the modes of high life, but glory 
in being plain and unceremonious. They are remarkable 
for attachment to their minister, and for affection to one 
another. There is not a person in the congregation who is 
not friendly to warm evangelical preaching ; and this they 
must have fresh from the mint, for they are greater enemies 
to the reading of sermons than the Virginians themselves. 
I find that Dr. Smith's and Dr. Milledoler's labours have 
been uncommonly useful. We have also some hopeful ap- 
pearances at present. The attention to preaching is great, 
and a few persons seem to be impressed/' 

His connection with the institution of slavery was not 
such as to present any serious hinderance to removal, but 
one of its incidents is too instructive to be omitted. There 
was in the family a young woman named Daphne, who had 
been the attendant of Mrs. Alexander from her childhood, 
and was treated more as a friend than a servant. When it 
was left to her choice, she determined to accompany her 
master and mistress to the North ; and as she had been 
married to a young man in Prince Edward, she went with 



264 



DAPHNE. 



hopes that he might m some way obtain his freedom. We 
shall anticipate so far as to complete her remarkable story. 
Soon after arrival in Philadelphia, she found many, some 
being of the Society of Friends, who deeply sympathized 
with her in the separation from her husband ; and there 
were some who proposed that she should go round among 
the benevolent with a subscription towards his redemption 
from slavery. John Boatman was regarded as a valuable 
servant, and was accordingly held at a high price ; but the 
money was raised, and the master struck off something from 
the sum which he might have obtained. John, who was a 
brawny and ill-favoured black, was sent on to accompany 
the family in travelling northward. Mr. Alexander kept 
them both as hired servants upon wages. But J ohn discov- 
ered that he could procure larger amounts elsewhere, and 
was immediately released to become the coachman of Gov- 
ernor McKean. Daphne, who was of light complexion and 
persuasive manners, began to associate with the ladies of 
colour in Philadelphia, and learned to entertain more lofty 
thoughts. She soon left her kind protectors and set up for 
herself. The husband went rapidly astray, forsook his wife, 
and was cast into prison. Daphne fell into ill health, be- 
came unable to work, and at length found a place in the 
almshouse. Here she was during the earlier part of Dr. Al- 
exander's residence in Princeton. During her retreat in 
this public institution she was led to reflect on the quiet and 
ease which she had enjoyed under a nominal bondage, so 
that when she was visited by two daughters of Dr. Waddel, 
she embraced with joy the proposal that she should return 



RETURN TO BONDAGE. 



265 



and find a shelter amidst the scenes of her youth, where her 
mother and several brothers and sisters still lived. " We 
agreed/' says Dr. Alexander, "to make up among us the 
sum which was necessary. But I told her that she could 
not go back as a free woman, as the laws prohibited the 
return of free negroes to the State ; but that she knew what 
freedom was, and what slavery was, and might again exercise 
her choice whether to remain free or to go back as a slave. 
There had been no formal act of manumission when she was 
brought away. She did not hesitate a moment. She knew 
that she had never been a slave except in name, and she 
felt a strong desire to be with her kindred and the children 
of her young master." Daphne accordingly returned, and 
has found a happy home ever since in the family of Dr. Ad- 
dison Waddel of Staunton, working for herself and going 
wherever she pleases. She still survives at the time of the 
present writing, and has always borne the character of an 
affectionate and humble Christian. 

Eesuming our narrative, we have to state that Mr. Alex- 
ander has recorded his belief that the suddenness of his re- 
moval was not without some human impatience and precipi- 
tancy. " But/' he adds, " what I did rashly, Providence 
ordered for good." Upon arriving in Philadelphia he found 
himself embarrassed by the novelty of his domestic circum- 
stances, and the common difficulty of obtaining proper ser- 
vants. He moreover began his labours with a violent cold, 
which, however, did not prevent his opening his new career 
of labour. He was received as a member of the Presbytery 
of Philadelphia on the 21st of April, 1807. His installa- 



266 



IMPRESSIONS OF THE CITY. 



tion as pastor took place on the 20th of the next month ; 
on which occasion the Eev. George 0. Potts delivered the 
customary sermon, the Eev. Jacob J. Janeway presided and 
gave the charge to the minister, and the Eev. James P. 
Wilson, D. D. gave the charge to the people. 

MR. ALEXANDER TO MRS. GRAHAM. 

"Philadelphia, March 5, 1807. 

" Dear Sister : — 

" My time is very much occupied here, but the 
business on which my duty obliges me to attend is not disa- 
greeable. Almost every day some sick persons are to be 
visited. Funerals are frequently to be attended, and some- 
times persons under spiritual trouble apply in order that they 
may be advised and comforted. There is a very wrong 
opinion frequently entertained of congregations in such a 
place as this ; as if all the members were well informed 
people. The truth is, there is much less religious knowledge 
among the bulk of the people here than in the country. 
Multitudes grow up with very little knowledge of the doc- 
trines of religion, and many after they are grown join them- 
selves to a congregation by taking pews, who were never 
instructed at all. These require very plain preaching, and 
when they become serious need to be taught the very first 
principles of the doctrine of Christ. 

" I have just now returned from visiting a woman, who 
sent for me to converse about her being baptized, as this 
had been neglected in her infancy. I found her very igno- 
rant of every thing except that she felt herself to be a lost 



PASTORAL CASES. 



267 



sinnei, and trustee" in Christ alone for salvation. She was 
so affected when she attempted to speak, that she could 
utter only a few words at a time. She handed me a book, 
which she said contained a description of her exercises. It 
contained Wright on the New Birth, and Haweis on the Sa- 
crament, bound together. I had never seen either of them, 
and therefore looked a little into the volume, and found it to 
be sound and very plain. I told her it was well, and that I 
would baptize her on the next occasion. 

" This morning I was a good deal encouraged by an ac- 
count which I saw in a letter from a gentleman in East 
Jersey to his cousin, one of our elders. This man paid a 
visit to his cousin in this city last month ; and although he 
was deistically inclined, and never went to a place of worship 
at home, he was induced by his relative, who is fervent in 
piety, to attend our meetings. Since he went home, he has 
written that he has determined to turn his attention to reli- 
gion and to change his manner of life. He was educated in 
Glasgow for the ministry, but became skeptical, as his 
cousin informs me, and devoted himself to trade. We have 
several instances of awakening and hopeful conversion since 
I arrived here. Two men, particularly, who were considered 
the most worldly in their disposition of any in their circle, 
have become serious. One of these professes to have expe- 
rienced a thorough change. The other has been almost in 
despair, but begins now to be a little comforted. I have fre- 
quently visited a man and his wife, who appeared to me as 
ignorant as any I ever saw in a gospel land ; but they have, 
I trust, obtained eyes to see ; and knowledge may be ex- 



268 



PHILADELPHIA. 



pected to follow of course. I have attempted to mention 
the principal encouraging cases which have fallen under my 
observation. But I do not yet know one [half of my] people. 
They do not know one another ; for [many of them] never 
meet any where but at church. Among the poor I have 
found some choice spirits, real heirs of the kingdom ; one 
man in particular, who is too infirm to come out, and who 
[is supported by the] congregation, edifies me every time I 
call to see him, and is all alive in religion. I find myself 
greatly benefited by my visits to the sick and afflicted ; and - 
it leads me to preach in a strain which otherwise I should 
not have thought suitable to a great city. My love to all 
friends. Grace, mercy and peace be with you and yours. 

"A. A." 

TO THE SAME. 

"Philadelphia, Jan. 23, 1811. 

" Dear Sister : — 

" Religion in this place is at present in a languid 
rather than a thriving state. The additions to the church 
have been less considerable during the last year than for any 
year since I came here. Mr. Burch continues here, and is, I 
think, very useful. His people are still fond of him, and - 
are building a beautiful church. People at a distance are 
much mistaken about the kind of preaching which suits 
this place. Some congregations, it is true, require men of the 
best learning and talents, but many others demand preaching 
of the plainest kind, and less learning and polish than almost 
any country congregation however remote. We need at this 
time another preacher of the same stamp as Mr. Burch, to 
preach to the people in the suburbs. 



CITY CLERGY. 



269 



" We have been pleasing ourselves with the prospect of a 
trip to Virginia next summer ; but whether our hopes shall 
be realized remains to be discovered. If we should be able to 
accomplish our wish, you may expect to see us in August. 
Time glides rapidly along ; year succeeds year in swift suc- 
cession. We must soon begin to descend towards the grave, 
according to the general course of nature. Lately, as it 
seems in the retrospect, we were young ; but soon, if our 
lives are prolonged, we shall be old. Well, if we can but 
live usefully and die comfortably, we need not be concerned 
how soon we finish this pilgrimage. 

"A. A." 

The materials for constructing a full and connected nar- 
rative of this new period are unfortunately wanting. Dr. 
Alexander seldom retained a copy of his own letters. And 
what is still more painfully felt by us in prosecuting our 
work, the autobiography breaks off about this point, and we 
henceforward journey on without the guiding thread of his 
own record which has thus far conducted us. 

Philadelphia, though far less populous than in our day, 
was nevertheless the chief city of the land, and was dis- 
tinguished as for many years the permanent seat of the 
General Assembly. Its churches were among the most 
distinguished in our communion, and were served by clergy- 
men of note. There were at this time four Presbyterian 
congregations. The pastor of the First Church was the 
Eev. James P. Wilson, D. D., in some respects one of the 
most remarkable ministers whom our connection has pro- 
duced. After having been a lawyer for fifteen years, he 



270 



THE THIRD CHURCH. 



devoted himself to the work of preaching the Gospel, and 
laboured with great acceptance and the admiration of many 
cultivated minds, until the decline of health brought his 
active service to a close, when he was succeeded by the Bev, 
Albert Barnes. Dr. Wilson was a man of varied and re- 
condite learning. Between him and Mr. Alexander there 
were many sympathies, and a familiar literary commerce 
was kept up between them. Both were strongly inclined to 
the study of language, in which Dr. W. was a great pro- 
ficient, and both addicted themselves to Scriptural exegesis, 
which was then beginning to receive the new lights of conti- 
nental editors and critics. They had moreover a community 
of interest as to their mode of preaching, for at this time, 
both exercised their pulpit gifts without the use of any manu- 
script. The Second Church, then at the corner of Third and 
Arch streets, had for its pastors the Reverend Drs. Green and 
Janeway as colleagues. Dr. Green was an able and popular 
preacher, and always threw his influence decidedly into the 
scale of vital piety. Dr. Janeway, who was like-minded, 
still lives in an honourable old age. The pastor of the Fourth 
Church was the Rev. George C. Potts, a clergyman of great 
worth and benevolence, for whom Dr. Alexander retained a 
warm regard as Ions; as he lived. 

The Third Presbyterian Church was not distinguished 
in any worldly sense. It was in the southern part of the 
city proper, and at that time contained a great number of 
persons from the neighbourhood of the Xavy-yarcl. with a 
goodly proportion of shipmasters and pilots. The predomi- 
nating ingredient in the congregation was the old-fashioned 



RULING ELDERS. 



271 



Scotch ana Irish Presbyterianisin, with its salient points of 
good and evil, with which the new pastor was familiar. There 
was all possible zeal or tenacity respecting covenanted 
doctrine and ancient usage, with a disposition on the part 
of some to look with distrust on hortatory preaching, and 
any measures toward revival, as savouring of newlight and 
methodism. The communion seasons were like those of 
Scotland, with long tables and 'tokens/ There were not 
wanting, however, some bright specimens of a piety which has 
never flourished more than anions Christians of this lineage. 
But the situation was one fitted to make a young Virginian 
minister feel the transition from a religious climate of great 
fervour and freedom. 

Among the excellent private Christians who were mem- 
bers of this church, Mr. James Stuart deserves honourable 
mention. He was a native of Ireland, and long occupied 
the place of ruling elder. To a natural temperament of great 
ardency, he added evangelical knowledge and a remarkable 
disposition to be useful. He was gifted in prayer, assiduous 
and affectionate among the poor and suffering, and a valuable 
aid to his pastor. It is but a few years since he died, full 
of years, and venerated by all who knew him. Mr. John 
McMullin was another elder ; a man of gentle manners, un- 
feigned piety, and unusual consistency of character. Capt. 
Benjamin Wickes belonged to the same church ; he was well 
known as one of the few truly religious captains who in that 
day sailed from our ports, and was honoured with the charge 
of conducting numerous missionaries to the East Indies and 
China. Joseph Eastburn, the first who devoted attention 



272 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



to the spiritual wants of seamen, was forward in every good 
work at this day, and was in close intimacy with Mr. Alexan- 
der. With some families of his congregation he maintained 
affectionate relations to the very close of life ; and among 
these a prominent place is due to the name of Mr. Thomas 
M. Hall, in whose house even after the decease of this worthy 
man he was a welcome guest for more than forty years. 

A brisk epistolary exchange continued to be kept up with 
his bosom friends Eice and Speece. Of letters written by 
the former, we have more than fifty, being all that remain 
of some hundreds. These show that their communications 
turned on matters of experimental and ministerial religion 
and on literature ; and they evince a zeal in the pursuit of 
knowledge under difficulties, which is as rare as it is stimu- 
lating. These earnest young men employed their friend, 
as near the learned marts, to be on the watch for books in 
every department. In 1808, we find Mr. Eice writing for 
Eusebius and Wetstein ; and in 1810, saying, "Yes, Sir! 
If it please God to give me health and strength, I am re- 
solved to be master of those languages in which the truths 
of Divine revelation were originally recorded, and I am very 
anxious to get all the helps in these studies that can possibly 
be procured. I must beg your assistance in this business. 
If you will accept of it, I hereby give you carte blancJie, a 
full commission to buy for me, at any price that you think 
proper to give, any book which you can find, that it will in 
your opinion be important for me to have. I have been 
very anxious to get Horsley's new Translation of Hosea. 
Are any copies to be found in your city ? Be on the watch, 

19 



RELIGIOUS NOVEL. 



273 



if you please, for a Syriae New Testament, for Tromniius's 
Concordance, for Wetstein's Greek Testament ; I do not 
know whether it is worth while to mention Calasio's Concord- 
ance, and Michaelis's Hebrew Bible. I question if they are 
by any means to be obtained." 

A literary project of Mr. Alexander, which he had enter- 
tained before leaving Virginia, was matter of much entertain- 
ment in his little circle of intimates. He had begun, and 
perhaps had completed, a work of fiction, answering exactly 
to what has since been called the religious novel. Itwas enti- 
tled " Eudocia/' and purported to be the history of a young 
lady of wealth and beauty, who is led through various changes 
and degrees, from giddy ignorance to piety and peace. The 
plot was engaging ; there was a thread of romantic but pure 
love, running through the whole ; it abounded in graphic 
description and lively dialogue. Some of the scenes were 
eminently pathetic ; and Mr. Speece was known to burst 
into tearg, when it was read aloud. The whole was made 
subservient to the inculcation of evangelical truth. The 
author finally determined to suppress it. The manuscript 
was not destroyed, but the delay — beyond the nonum pre- 
matur in annum — resulted in the destruction of more than 
one half. "What remains would fill a good duodecimo. The 
allusions which follow will now be manifest. 



MB. SPEECE TO ME. ALEXANDER. 

"Powhatan, August 15, 1808. 

" Dear Sir : — 

" I received your acceptable and instructive sermou 
some time ago in Prince Edward, where Dr. Hall left it for 



274 



MR. SPEECE'S LETTER. 



me on his way home. But your letter of June 8, I did not 
get, till two days ago. The single reason of my not having 
written to you during so long a time, was the want of any 
matter which I could think sufficiently interesting. I per- 
suaded myself, however, that you as well as I could conceive 
how an affectionate regard might subsist between distant 
friends, though there were not a frequent intercourse by 
letter. 

" Your approbation of my presbyterial sermon affords 
me much pleasure. I will remark to you that one reason of 
my swelling that sermon with so many long doctrinal para- 
graphs, was a wish to remove some suspicions, which you 
perhaps remember, that I was verging too much towards 
Arminianism. I have given a kind of confession of my 
faith, and hope the motive I have mentioned was not im- 
proper. 

" I am delighted with the prospect of seeing your sweet 
Eudocia presented to the public. Before I received your 
letter I had resolved to write to you soon, principally to entreat 
that the door which confined her might be opened, that she 
might walk forth for the entertainment and edification of 
the world. I hope the humorous and satirical parts of the 
work will be retained. They will be useful in themselves, 
and will render the book alluring to a larger number of 
readers. And though I should not like to differ in a point 
of taste from Mrs. Alexander, allow me to put in a word in 
behalf of the dream, or dreams, which you read to me from 
the manuscript. Dreaming is indeed a delicate subject, both 
in philosophy and religion. But we believe that God does 



MR. SPEECE ? S LETTER. 



275 



sometimes speak to men, 'in dreams and visions of the 
night/ to fasten important instruction upon their hearts. 

" I have been long collecting ideas for a dissertation on 
Liberty and Necessity ; not to increase the mass of meta- 
physical subtilties on the subject, but if possible to diminish 
it. But I have another design in hand, more likely to be 
executed ; namely, to write a sermon or dissertation on the 
doctrine of Election. Presumptuous as it may appear, I 
cannot but think I could produce something more satisfac- 
tory than I have met with on that doctrine ; especially in 
the business of answering objections against it. 

" Our Magazine is dead indeed ; solely, I think, for want 
of zeal in the members of our Synod. I have long believed 
it possible to make a better one, under the auspices of 
Hanover Presbytery. The plan you suggest deserves atten- 
tion. I had thought of trying to get a suitable printer, 
who should be furnished with matter and editorial direction, 
and print and distribute the work at his own charge, and for 
his own sole profit. The times are so discouraging to most 
things which require money, that I fear we can do nothing 
shortly in such a design. Mr. Hoge's reputation as a 
preacher is rising rapidly with the public, and I hope he will 
do well as the president of the college. 

" I have seen the collection of books which you purchased 
for Mr. Bice. The cheapness of such a mass of literature 
quite astonished me. When I can find an opportunity of 
sending you some money, I shall probably request you to 
exercise a similar kindness towards me, 

u I do not know any interesting news to send you from 



276 



MR. RICE'S LETTER. 



this quarter, either on the state of religion, or any thing 
else. Where is to be the end of Buonaparte's tremendous 
career ? But our Grod reigns, and we will rejoice. Mention 
to Mrs. Alexander my affectionate remembrance of her, and 
believe me 

" Yours sincerely, 

"Conrad Speece." 

mr. rice to mr. alexander. 

"Chaklotte, January 28, 1810* 

"My Dear Sir :— 

" I sometimes feel backward to write to you, be- 
cause I have so little to communicate that can be at all 
interesting. But the pleasure which your letters afford me 
is so great, that, frequently when I have no other reason, I 
write that I may receive an answer from you, and hear some- 
thing from Mrs. Alexander and your boys. If you think 
this is my motive at present, you will not wander far from 
the mark. 

" Three days ago I finished the perusal of c Coelebs/ 
Miss Lightfoot Oarrington, who is now in Bichmond, met 
with it there, and sent it to me. I had often laughed at 
her for spending so much time in reading novels. When she 
got Coelebs, 6 Here/ says she, c is a novel at last which I know 
that Mr. Bice will be pleased with ; ? and accordingly de- 
spatched it to Charlotte. I read it with more pleasure than 
any thing of the author's writing. It delighted me ; I trust 
it improved me too. It put me much in mind of a certain 
Miss Eudocia, whom I have been longing to see for some 



MR. RICE'S LETTER. 



277 



time past. The rage for novels is so great that I have long 
wished to see that species of writing converted to a better 
purpose. Miss Hannah More has very completely answered 
my wishes, and has, by the way, obtained that credit with 
the religious world which I think in all reason belonged to 
you. If you differ with me on this point, we will discuss it 
after we shall have talked over this new-fashioned school 
affair and other matters ; which I hope to do in May next. 
At that time Mr. Speece and I hope to be with you, and 
then — ! I give you notice that Mr. Speece will come with 
his pockets loaded with money, in the full spirit of trade 
I know that he intends to make some grand speculation, for 
he has within the year past sold nearly two hundred dollars' 
worth of books, with a view of taking the money to Phila- 
delphia. 

" I think the state of religion in this country worse by 
some degrees than when you left it. Presbyterian congrega- 
tions are decreasing every year, and appear as if they would 
dwindle to nothing. The Baptists and Methodists are at a 
stand. A strange apathy has seized the people. The judg- 
ments with which our nation has been visited, and the more 
awful ones which impend, have produced no effect ; or if 
any, a most disastrous one. Instead of being a blessing they 
are a curse. The people feel about nothing but money. As 
to religion, the very stillness of death reigns amongst us. I 
can find no resemblance to this part of the country, but in 
Ezekiel's valley of dry bones. I am sure you do not forget 
your old friends. Eemember them, then, at the throne of 



278 



PREACHING IN THE CITY. 



grace, and let me, particularly, have an interest in youi 
prayers. 

" I am affectionately yours, 

"John H. Bice." 

The years spent in Philadelphia were doubtless impor- 
tant both as to direct usefulness and the formation of 
character. Yet a change thus abrupt brought with it not a 
few privations and annoyances. His children were sickly, 
the salary was small, the modes of domestic management 
were novel and embarrassing, and he was often tempted to 
wish himself back among the wide plantations and open 
forests of Lower Virginia. " But these/' says he, " were 
small matters. I enjoyed health, and had on the Sabbath 
large assemblies of attentive people ; and the preaching did 
not seem altogether without saving effect. The congregation 
appeared one and all to be pleased with my services, and 
many strangers as well as members of other churches came 
to hear me." It may be safely said, that these expressions 
much underrate the degree of acceptance and popularity 
which attended his public ministrations. The vivacity and 
freedom of his discourses, always during this period pro- 
nounced without the aid of any manuscript, attracted very 
general admiration ; and their solid contents and evangelical 
unction made them peculiarly welcome to experienced 
Christians. He was, moreover, silently acquiring reputation 
as a theologian, of original and clear views, and strict ad- 
herence to the Eeformed tenets ; and was thus preparing 
for the important career for which he was destined by Provi- 
dence. 



LEARNED TOILS. 



279 



Being now brought nearer to libraries, learned men and 
the means of acquiring books, he entered with great fresh- 
ness of zea] into several interesting walks of clerical study. 
In every thing connected with the criticism and interpreta- 
tion of the sacred text, he used assiduous application ; taking 
Hebrew lessons of a learned Jew, perusing the Septuagint, 
collating other versions, and pushing more deeply those 
researches which he had long before commenced, into the 
original of the Xew Testament. His shelves began also to 
fill themselves with those folios and quartos, bound in vel- 
lum, of Latin theology, which always continued to be char- 
acteristic of his library. In some departments of learning 
he was no doubt surpassed by many of his brethren : but it 
is believed that none of his coevals had read more exten- 
sively in the theology of the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- 
turies ; including Eomanist and Lutheran, as well as Re- 
formed divines. The practice of preaching without writing 
produced in him one of its ordinary effects, namely, an in- 
disposition to commit his thoughts to paper. Consequently 
his judgment and taste in composition so much outstripped 
his ability to execute, that it was many years before he could 
bring himself to give any thing willingly to the public. He 
always wrote with ease and even with rapidity, but never to 
his own satisfaction. During his residence in Philadelphia, 
therefore, it is not known that he committed any thing to 
the press, except two sermons, one at the opening of the 
General Assembly of 1808, and the other on the conflagra- 
tion of the Richmond theatre, and a few papers in the old 
Assembly's Magazine, which cannot now be pointed out with 
certainty. 



280 



PAROCHIAL WORK. 



In his pastoral work he found increasing satisfaction, and 
was surrounded by good auxiliaries. " Of my own people," 
says he, "William Haslitt and John McMullin were my un- 
wavering friends. James Stuart was warm-hearted and 
very zealous, and often showed me the way to the houses of 
the poor, the widow, and the suffering ; and in the prayer- 
meetings he was my right-hand man. Joseph East burn, 
who was a kind of city missionary, was often at our social 
gatherings ; his heart was warm and his feelings were kind. 
Though this truly good man had read scarcely any thing but 
his Bible, he preached more acceptably and profitably than 
many learned men. He was originally a member of Arch 
Street church, but falling into scruples about his infant bap- 
tism, he went into the country and got a Baptist minister 
to immerse him, but on condition that he should remain a 
Presbyterian, as he did to the day of his death. When the 
Methodists occupied the old Academy which once belonged to 
Whitefield, Eastburn, who was his follower, began to exhort 
publicly, and spoke with so, much warmth and tenderness 
that the people were much impressed. All seemed to think 
that he ought to be licensed as an exhorter, which was then 
a new thing in the church. The Presbytery gave him au- 
thority to preach in the jail, almshouse, and other institu- 
tions. But he could not confine himself to these, and spoke 
at prayer-meetings, and sometimes supplied the place of 
ministers, when they were absent or indisposed. He even 
attended Quaker meetings, and was moved to speak there, 
so often as to give some umbrage to the old broad-brims. 
An old Quaker lawyer said " he was afraid that friend Jo- 
seph spake sometimes before he was moved by the Spirit." 



DOCTOR RUSH. 



281 



A surviving member of the congregation thinks that Mr. 
Alexander read but three discourses during his ministry in 
Pine street. Dr. Milledoler's preaching had brought in a 
a number of young persons ; the success of Mr. A. was chiefly 
among those of riper years. At one of the early communions, 
out of twenty-seven who professed their faith, only one was 
in youth. The same informant recalls the interest taken by 
Dr. Benjamin Eush in the performances of Mr. Alexander. 
He augured his future eminence, and when told that the 
discourses were very simple, quoted the Latin adage, Ex 
pede Herculem ; adding that he was reminded of what John 
Newton says in his Carcliphonia, that in his own preaching 
he followed the advice of a minister who fixed his eye on 
one of the humblest of his audience, and adapted his lan- 
guage to this hearer. From another venerable Philadelphian, 
Mr. William Bradford, a friend has derived a second anec- 
dote. Dr. Bush and Dr. Abercrombie were in a carriage at 
a funeral, when Dr. Bush said, pointing to the Pine street 
Church, " That is the church Mr. Alexander is coming to." 
" Do you call that a church ? " said the clergyman. " Yes, 
sir," replied Bush ; " wherever two or three old women meet 
together in the name of Christ, there is the Church of the 
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." On another 
occasion, when some one spoke of the crowds who came to 
evangelical preaching, Dr. Bush replied, " Yes, in this sense 
also, unto Shiloh shall the gathering of the people be." 

He was naturally awakened to compassion by observing 
the great religious destitution prevailing in the outskirts of 
Philadelphia. It was not a time of revival, and missionary 



282 



OITY DESTITUTION, 



zeal had scarcely dawned upon our churches. Some of his 
efforts for the spread o£ the Gospel in the city are thus 
modestly related in a memorandum of his own. " After 
coming to Philadelphia, I formed acquaintance with a num- 
ber of pious men of other churches, and heard a general 
complaint concerning the want of activity and enterprise. It 
occurred to me that there was much which might be done 
by pious laymen. Sabbath schools had not then been intro- 
duced. I sat down one day and drew up a constitution for 
an 6 Evangelical Society/ not to raise funds, nor to employ 
others to work, but an association of which every member 
was to be a working man. I communicated the constitution 
to the Presbyterian ministers, in order to secure their ap- 
probation, which was readily granted. I then sent an invi- 
tation to about twenty gentlemen of zealous character in 
the different congregations, most of whom came together. 
When I read to them my plan, they seemed greatly pleased, 
and all expressed a willingness to do something. The first 
step was to divide the members into committees of two each, 
to go out in the evening of the Sabbath, to gather the 
children of the poor in some convenient place, to talk with 
their parents, and read the Scriptures and other good books. 
We met the first evening of each month to hear reports and 
to confer about new methods of doing good. This society 
operated successfully and without any serious interruption 
for a number of years, and still exists in a feeble state." Its 
operations have since been merged into the more extensive 
plans of the Sunday School and City Mission enterprises. 
Several important measures were carried into effect by its 



EVANGELICAL SOCIETY. 



283 



exertions, particularly the erection of an African church. 
Several eminent laymen were trained in these efforts for 
subsequent usefulness ; among whom may be named James 
Moore and Francis Markoe. The bearing of this humble en- 
deavour on the great work of city- missions, has induced us 
to glean a few additional particulars from one of the surviv- 
ing labourers. Until this society was formed, it had been very 
unusual among Presbyterians to have any religious meetings 
in the evening ; and these were even opposed by some good 
people. The Sunday evening services, when once com- 
menced, were exceedingly popular and much crowded. 
Several licentiates began their ministry in these labours 
among the destitute, which gave origin to new churches 
now in existence. 

The enterprise was so novel and simple, and so fore- 
shadowed later measures for church-extension and educa- 
tion, that we gladly add the view derived from a memoran- 
dum for which we are indebted to the venerable Dr. Janeway. 
" When your father/' says he to the editor, " came to Phil- 
adelphia, there was in existence a society embracing members 
of different denominations of Christians, and styled ' The 
Humane Society/ As its name imports, it was to relieve 
the wants of the poor. Your father originated a society, 
called 6 the Evangelical Society/ In a certain stage of its 
development both Dr. Green and I became members, and 
regularly attended its meetings. It then met in the session- 
room of the Second Presbyterian Church, adjoining the 
church edifice, which then stood at the corner of Arch and 
Third streets. The object of this society was to carry the 



284 



EVANGELICAL SOCIETY. 



knowledge of the Gospel to the destitute in various parts of 
the city. The members went, two and two, to particular 
districts, assembled individuals where they found convenient 
places, read to them out of the Scriptures and evangelical 
sermons or portions of books, and conversed and prayed with 
them. These committees regularly reported to the Society 
the result of their labours. 

" To refresh my recollections, and especially to get a 
knowledge of the origin of the Society, I have twice con- 
versed with Mr. Nassau, senior, who was a member of the 
Third Presbyterian Church, under the ministry of Dr. Mille- 
doler, and of course when your father succeeded him as pastor 
of that church. He gives the origin of the Society thus 
On a certain day, I think from the pulpit, your father in- 
vited some of his church members to meet at his house. 
When convened, he said to them, 6 Brethren, I have been 
looking over the congregation, and think that a number of 
the pious members may be very usefully employed in pro- 
moting the interests of religion in different places among the 
poor and ignorant/ He detailed the plan, and they proposed 
that he should act as their president ; but this he declined, 
as a needless formality. Another meeting was held, to 
which more were invited. It was afterwards proposed to 
embrace in the Society members of other Presbyterian 
churches. The Society continued to act, I think, until 
your father's removal to Princeton in 1812/' * 

We find by examination of the Eeligious Eemembrancer, 

* Letter of the Rev. J. J. Jane way, D. D., July 23, 1853. 



EVANGELICAL SOCIETY. 



285 



that the Society was instituted on the eleventh day of April, 
1808. The same journal, under date of September 18, 
1813, says that "some of the Committees, finding the work 
to increase on their hands, have thought it expedient to de- 
vote an additional evening to the children/' and adds, that 
"several convenient houses on different sites have been 
erected/' for accommodating them. And it is said, October 
16, that "at the first formation of the Society a small sum 
was subscribed, which was applied to the republishing of 
several tracts/' 

Mr. William Bradford remembers that Mr. Alexander 
was present at the opening of the Society's Sunday evening 
meetings, for preaching and teachings at the corner of But- 
tonwood and Eighth streets. The enterprise was novel, and 
the meeting was so much threatened that two constables 
were employed to keep the peace. It was a neighbourhood 
of butchers, and some one said of it, " The people will at- 
tend, and butcher the Evangelicals afterwards." These par- 
ticulars, however slight in themselves, have a manifest 
bearing on the rise of certain great charities among us. 

Among the manuscripts which belong to this period, is 
one which evidently connects itself with what has just been 
recited, and with the great work of City Missions. It is in 
the handwriting of Dr. Alexander, and is subjoined without 
comment. 

"THE POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED UNTO THEM. 

" It is a truly lamentable consideration, that there are 
thousands of unhappy persons in and about this city who 



286 



PLAN OF CITY MISSION. 



rarely or never hear the Gospel. This is especially the case 
with respect to many poor people who are unable to obtain 
pews in the churches, or who are so careless about their sal- 
vation as never to have sought this privilege. Whilst with 
a laudable zeal we are sending the Gospel to the heathen, 
and to the ignorant on our frontiers, is it not also incumbent 
on us to endeavour, by all practicable means, to bring 
within its sound the multitudes in this city who are nearly 
as ignorant as heathens ? Will it not be proper to show 
charity at home, and to use efforts to secure perishing soivls 
from impending ruin ? 

" It is believed that it would be productive of much good 
to this class of people, to erect a free church, a church, the 
pews or seats of which should never be appropriated to par- 
ticular persons, but left open for all who might choose at 
any time to occupy them. Such a church might easily be 
supplied with preaching every Sunday evening by the minis- 
ters of the city, and frequently in the day by strangers who 
may happen to spend the Sabbath in the city. 

" In order to provide such a house, and to devise and ex- 
ecute other plans for the extension of religious knowledge 
among the poor and ignorant in the City and Liberties of 
Philadelphia, we whose names are hereunto subscribed do 
agree to form ourselves into a Society ; and to regulate our 
proceedings we have adopted the following rules : 

"1. The style of the Society shall be, The Society for 
promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor. 

" 2. Any person may become a member of this Society, 
who shall contribute a sum for the purpose of building a free 
church not less than ten dollars. 



GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 



287 



** 3. As soon as twenty subscribers shall be obtained, a 
meeting shall be held, at which it shall be determined, whe- 
ther there is a sufficient prospect of success to proceed with 
the undertaking. 

"4. If it shall be determined to make the attempt, a 
Committee of five persons shall be chosen by a majority of 
the subscribers present, to whom the whole arrangement of 
the business shall be committed, and who shall continue in 
office until the next regular meeting of the Society, when a 
new choice shall be made. 

" 5. When the church contemplated is erected, and fit to 
receive a congregation, it shall be the duty of the Committee 
already mentioned, to endeavour to have it supplied with gra- 
tuitous preaching, at least on every Sunday evening. 

" 6. Any three members of the Committee shall be au- 
thorized to invite any preacher of any Christian denomination 
to preach in the aforesaid church. 

"7. The Committee shall also take the most effectual 
means to give notice of sermons to that class of people 
whose benefit is contemplated, and to use every proper 
measure to induce them to attend. 

" 8. Subscriptions of sums less than ten dollars will be 
thankfully received, but will not entitle the contributor to a 
vote in the deliberations of the Society/' 

Mr. Alexander was a commissioner to the General Assem- 
bly in 1807, 1808 and 1811, and at the first of these meet- 
ings was elected moderator. The following year, agreeably 
to custom, he delivered the discourse at the opening of the 
Assembly. It was published, and is upon the text, 1 Cor., 



288 TRACTS. 

xiv. 12, " Seek that ye may excel, to the edifying of the 
church." 

In the year 1810, Mr. Alexander received from the 
College of New Jersey the honorary degree of Doctor of 
Divinity ; the same distinction being at the same time con- 
ferred on his friends the Eev. Moses Hoge, and the Eev. 
Leonard Woods. 

Among other projects of his scheming and inventive 
mind, we find one or two mentioned in his private reminis- 
cences, which connect him with enterprises that have since j 
become very important. Speaking of the Philadelphia Bible 
Society, of which Dr. Kush was the chief founder, and which 
is the oldest in the hemisphere, he adds : "I made some 
exertion to have a small Tract Society established, but the 
attempt was not successful. William Bradford did indeed 
print a few tracts, and Alexander Henry aided in paying 
the expense." Mr. Bradford, who still survives, relates that 
about 1808 or 1809, Mr. Alexander urged him to print Mrs. 
More's " Coelebs," in order to correct the taste of female 
readers for romances ; which he accordingly did. Having 
printed the tract " Jack Covey," he applied to Mr. Alexander 
to fill two blank pages with prayers. The reply was that he 
had never written one, but the next day he brought him a 
prayer of a pious seaman before, and another after a storm, 
which were printed. Mr. Alexander strongly encouraged 
the primitive Tract Society, the " Philadelphia Tract So- 
ciety," which had its origin in Mr. Bradford's reprinting of 
that incomparable narrative, " Poor Joseph," which he re- 
ceived from Dr. Green. 



CALL TO GEORGIA. 



u In considering the wants of the people and the diffi- 
culty of reaching the multitude with religious instruction, 
I conceived the plan of a religious [newspaper], a thing at 
that time unknown in the world. But as the thing was 
new, I mentioned [it] to none but two or three of my elders ; 
and it met with approbation. It was suggested that we had 
a printer, who was a well informed young man, John W. 
Scott. I conversed with him, and he drew up a well- written 
but rather florid Address, to accompany a Prospectus. 
Before the plan was carried into effect, I was removed to 
Princeton ; but Mr. Scott went forward with the enterprise, 
and published for a number of years, before any other work 
of the kind was thought of, The Christian Remembrancer. 
We talked of getting some tracts for the sailors, and I com- 
posed a few prayers for their use, which Mr. Bradford printed. 
We then saw no way of extending religious instruction to 
that class of men ; but Providence afterwards opened the 
way for much good, by means of Bethel meetings, and 
the like." 

It is worthy of record, that in the year 1810, Mr. Alex- 
ander was elected President of the University of Georgia, and 
was solicited with importunity to assume that important 
place. The fact was unknown even to his children, until 
revealed by his posthumous papers. 

During the last year of Dr. Alexander's abode in Phila- 
delphia, an event of signal calamity drew his sympathies 
towards his native State. It is thus related in a journal 
of the day. " On the night of December 26, 1811, the theatre 
in the city of Kichmond, Virginia, was unusually crowded ; 



290 



BUENING OF THEATRE. 



a new play having drawn together an assembly of not less 
than six hundred persons. Toward the close of the per- 
formance, just before the last act of the concluding panto- 
mime, the scenery caught fire from a lamp inadvertently 
raised to an improper position, and in a few minutes the 
whole building was wrapped in flames. The doors being 
few, and the avenues leading to them extremelv narrow, the 
scene which ensued was truly one of horror. It may be in 
some degree imagined, but can never be adequately described. 
About seventy-five persons perished in the flames. Among 
these were the Governor of the State ; the President of the 
Bank of Virginia ; one of the most eminent attorneys be- 
longing to the bar of the commonwealth ; a number of other 
respectable gentlemen ; and about fifty females, of whom a 
large portion were among the ladies of the greatest conspi- 
cuity and fashion in the city/' When the direful news 
reached Philadelphia, a meeting was held on New Tear's 
Day, of more than one hundred Virginians, being part of 
the Medical Class of the University of Pennsylvania, who, 
after suitable resolutions of condolence, requested Dr. Alex- 
ander to deliver a discourse on the mournful occasion. We 
well remember the solemn procession from the University to 
the church, and the throng of the agitated assembly. The 
sermon was published, and though unquestionably the most 
hurried production of its author, contains some passages 
which deserve to be remembered. The text was Komans 
xii. 15, "Weep with them that weep y" and it was intro- 
duced by some remarks on the sympathetic benignity of the 
Gospel. 



RICHMOND THEATRE. 



291 



" One leading difference between the system of morals 
prescribed by the Stoics ; and that inculcated by Christianity, 
is, that while the former aims at eradicating the passions, 
the latter endeavours to regulate them and direct them into 
their proper channels. The great Author of our being has 
implanted the principle of sympathy deeply in human na- 
ture, and has made the susceptibility of feeling the sorrows 
of another, as extensive as the race of man. It is common 
to the untutored savage and the man of refinement and edu- 
cation ; and traces of it are discovered even in the animal 
creation. This principle of sympathy, while it indicates the 
unity of our species, seems to form a mysterious bond of 
connection between all its members. The spectacle of suf- 
fering humanity, however great a stranger the object may 
be, will always excite our sensibility, unless the feelings be 
blunted by vicious indulgence, restrained by prejudice, or 
extinguished by the long prevalence of malignant passions. 
Genuine pity, and compassion for objects of real distress, 
have been perverted and almost quenched, in a multitude of 
persons, by the artificial excitement of spurious feelings, pro- 
duced by scenes of fictitious distress ; which tend to no 
valuable end, and are sought only for the momentary grati- 
fication of the possessor. But however sympathy may be 
abused, it has its proper and legitimate exercise, to whieh 
we are not only prompted by nature, but directed by reason 
and exhorted by religion. There are occasions, when not to 
'weep with them that weep/ would be rebellion against 
every principle which ought to govern us. If the sufferings 
of an enemy may be such as to affect us — if we are excited 



292 



SERMON. 



to weep at the woes of a stranger — what must our feelings 
be, when we recognise in the cry of unutterable anguish the 
well-known voice of an acquaintance, a friend, a brother or 
a sister ? Such a cry of distress, from the capital of our na- 
tive State, has pierced our ears, and filled our hearts with 
grief. The sons of Virginia, resident in this place, are to- 
day called upon to mourn, and to mingle their sympathetic 
tears with those of the whole State." 

After some allusion to the distinguished names in the 
catalogue of the dead, the preacher indulges in a few rapid 
pictures, which however uncommon in his severer printed 
works, were not unfrequent in his extemporaneous discourses, 
and which for this reason ought to be preserved. " That/' 
he continues, " which winds up our sympathies to the 
highest pitch, is, that the greater part were young women 
in the very bloom and prime of life. About one half the 
names in the whole catalogue are of this description. ! 
who can think, without exquisite anguish, of so many gay 
and blooming virgins, decorated with the charms of beauty, 
accomplished by the refinements of art, tender and delicate 
to excess, and accustomed only to endearments and caresses, 
perishing by a death so cruel, and by torments so excruciat- 
ing ! Who can describe the chasm which has been made in 
numerous families, and the agony which has been, and is 
still endured ! Tell us, ye bereaved mothers (if words can 
express it), the pangs which have rent your breaking hearts, 
since you beheld the scorched, bruised, and disfigured re- 
mains of your once beautiful daughters. c In Kama/ of old, 
6 a voice of lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning. 



SERMON. 293 

was heard ; Bachel weeping for her children, and would not 
be comforted, because they are not/ How many inconso- 
lable Kachels are there this day, who weep for their children 
and refuse to be comforted. The hoary head of the indul- 
gent father too must now come down with sorrow to the 
grave. Perhaps the last prop and solace of his declining 
years, as well as the darling of his heart, is for ever gone 
from his sight. The helpless widow and the orphan chil- 
dren also lift up their deploring hands and their streaming 
eyes to heaven, expressing thereby feelings of grief and 
agony, to which all words are inadequate. And why need I 
attempt to describe the poignant pangs of the disappointed 
lover (the day of whose nuptials perhaps was fixed), as he 
beholds the form which he idolized changed into a frightful 
skeleton. 

" But the shock is felt not only in the city of Eichmond, 
but in remote parts of the State. Several who perished in 
the flames resided at a distance. With some, perhaps, it 
was the first visit of any length which they ever made from 
their father's house. Methinks I see the fond mother taking 
the last leave of her beloved daughter, little suspecting that 
it is the last. Or shall I fancy that some unaccountable 
foreboding seizes her mind and oppresses her heart, as the 
object of her hopes and fears is carried from her sight ? 

" But who shall imagine what her situation and feelings 
are, when the day arrives which shall bring a letter from 
her affectionate child ! A letter comes, it is true ; but what 
horror chills the blood, when it is seen not to be inscribed 
in the well-known hand of the dear girl, and to be ad 
dressed to the father instead of the mother. I see his 



294 



RICHMOND THEATRE. 



veteran hand tremble while he breaks the ominous seal 
And the countenance which had remained unmoved, while 
death was braved at the cannon's mouth, now turns pale as 
ashes, when he reads the few incoherent sentences, by which 
he is made to realize more than ever the gloomiest hour had 
painted on his imagination. These remarks are suggested 
by the recollection of a modest and amiable young lady, 
whom I happened to see last summer, in company with a 
pious mother, at a solemn religious meeting, where she ap- 
peared to be deeply interested, and to enter very devotionally 
into the exercises of the day ; but alas ! in looking over the 
melancholy list, I find her name enrolled. She perished in 
the flames on the fatal twenty-sixth of December. 

" I feel it to be incumbent on me .... to give my public 
testimony against [theatrical exhibitions] as being, notwith- 
standing the partial good which may result from them, 
unfriendly to piety — unfriendly to morality — unfriendly to 
health — unfriendly to domestic happiness — and unfriendly 
to true delicacy and genuine refinement." 

The peroration is as follows. " Finally, permit me to 
conclude this discourse, by considering the dispensation, 
which has convened us this day, in the light of a solemn 
warning. Yes, my hearers, if ever the trumpet of a right- 
eous Providence sounded loudly in our ears, it doth so this 
day. The voice is alarming. Let no weak notions of accident 
and second causes keep you from observing the frowns of 
heaven, which lower over .us. Think not that these were 
sinners above all who dwell in the land, because they suffered 
such things. c I tell you nay ; but except ye repent, ye shall 
all likewise perish/ 



SERMON. 



u Often, since the ominous and fatal handwriting on the 
wall caused the proud king of Babylon to shake with terror 
in the midst of his profane mirth and riot, has the awful 
transition from the gay scenes of dissipation, to the shades 
of death, been made in the period of a single night. Often 
have the votaries of pleasure been hurried from the festive 
board, the merry dance, the opera and play — and what is 
still more dreadful, from scenes of excess and debauchery — 
into eternity, to answer for their deeds before the tremendous 
bar of God. Eeceive the warning, then, and 'suffer the 
word of exhortation/ The views and impressions produced 
by this deplorable occurrence, however painful at the present, 
may be precious in their effects, and should not be allowed 
to pass off without originating such resolutions and purposes, 
as shall become the foundation of a new course of life. You 
may never in the whole period of your lives find a season so 
favourable, to shake off the undue influence of the world, 
and to break with every darling lust and besetting sin. My 
last advice, therefore, is, become eeal Christians. Make 
religion a personal concern. Attend to it without delay. 
i Eemember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth/ 
And may the God of all grace crown the exercises of this 
day with his blessing, for Christ's sake ! Amen/' 

It is worthy of note, as belonging to a parallel between 
two long and blended lives, that the Eeverend Dr. Miller in 
New- York preached and published a discourse, commemora- 
tive of the same afflictive event. It was upon Lamentations, 
ii. 1 — 13, and contains an able and elaborate argument 
against theatrical amusements. 



CHAPTER TWELFTH. 



1811—1812. 

THEOLOGICAL SEMINAEY PEOJECTED — ELECTION OF PEOFESSOE — EEMOVAL 
TO PELNCETON — STUDIES AND ATTAINMENTS — LNAUGTTEATION. 

IT cannot now be ascertained by whom the scheme of a 
Theological Seminary for the Presbyterian Church was 
first suggested. In the measures which resulted in such an 
institution, many minds co-operated. Among these we may 
safely say none were more prominent than Doctors Green, 
Miller and Alexander. The increasing fields open for Gospel 
labour, caused not a few among our ministers to be devising 
methods for supplying the destitutions. It was also gen- 
erally believed that the method of pursuing studies in pre- 
paration for the ministry, under the guidance of individual 
pastors, however valuable as a measure of necessity, could 
not be relied on, as the means of furnishing adequate train- 
ing for the work of so great a country. In regard to the 
education of candidates in general, Dr. Green, as early as 
1805, sent into the General Assembly an overture, ad- 
dressed to the Committee of Overtures, which was received 
with so much favour as to be published in the printed 



SEMINARY PROPOSED. 



297 



minutes of the year with his name, and which originated a 
system of measures which occupied this judicatory for several 
years. This admirable paper, however, did not contain any 
proposal of a theological institution. Of this particular 
method of raising up a suitable ministry, the earliest men- 
tion which we have been able to discover is in a discourse 
preached by Dr. Alexander in 1808, before the General 
Assembly, of which he had been Moderator the year before. 
The passage is as follows : 

" I will now make a few remarks on the subject of purity, 
as it respects the discipline of the church. The first thing 
here which deserves our attention, is the introduction of suit- 
able men into the ministry. If you would have a well-dis- 
ciplined army, you must begin by appointing good officers. 
There is no subject which more deserves the attention of our 
church when met in General Assembly than this. The defi- 
ciency of preachers is great. Our vacancies are numerous, 
and often continue for years unsupplied, by which means 
they are broken up or destroyed. Our seminaries of learning, 
although increasing in literature and numbers, furnish us 
with few preachers. This state of affairs calls loudly for 
your attention. Some measures have already been adopted 
by the recommendation of the General Assembly to remedy 
this evil ; but although they promise considerable success, 
they are inadequate to the object. In my opinion, we 
shall not have a regular and sufficient supply of well-quali- 
fied ministers of the Gospel, until every Presbytery, or at 
least every Synod, shall have under its direction a seminary 
established for the single purpose of educating youth for the 



298 



DR. GREEN'S OVERTURE. 



ministry, in which, the course of education from its com- 
mencement shall be directed to this object ; for it is much 
to be doubted whether the system of education pursued in 
our colleges and universities is the best adapted to prepare a 
young man for the work of the ministry. The great exten- 
sion of the physical sciences, and the taste and fashion of the 
age, have given such a shape and direction to the academical 
course, that I confess, it appears to me to be little adapted 
to introduce a youth to the study of the sacred Scriptures." 

In reference to these remarks, Dr. Green says in his 
Autobiography : " Encouraged by this, I used all my influ- 
ence in favour of the measure ; and in 1809, the Presbytery 
of Philadelphia, to which I belonged, sent into the General 
Assembly of that year an overture distinctly proposing the 
establishment of a theological school. The committee to 
which the overture was referred, reported to the Assembly 
three plans, namely : 1. 6 One great school, in some con- 
venient place near the centre of the bounds of our church. 
2, To establish two such schools in such places as may best 
accommodate the northern and southern divisions of the 
Church. 3. To establish such a school within the bounds of 
each of the Synods. .After stating the advantages and dis- 
advantages of each of these modes, the committee recom- 
mended and the Assembly resolved, that the above plans be 
submitted to all the Presbyteries within the bounds of the 
General Assembly, for their consideration, and that they be 
careful to send up to the next Assembly at their sessions 
in May, 1810, their opinions on the subject/ When the 
votes of the Presbyteries came to be examined by a commit- 



DR. GREEN'S PLAN. 



299 



tee appointed for the purpose in 1810, it appeared that a 
majority of the Presbyteries under the care of the Assembly 
had expressed a decided opinion in favour of the establish- 
ment of a theological school ; and that although there was 
an equal number of Presbyteries in favour of the first and 
third plans above mentioned, yet there were those who had 
voted in favour of the third plan, who had done so from an 
entire misconception of the nature and intention of the first, 
which would be completely obviated when the details of that 
plan should be made known. The conclusion therefore was 
6 that there was a greater amount of presbyterial suffrage in 
favour of a single school than of any other plan/ Several 
resolutions were passed by the General Assembly (which I 
shall not transcribe) for the immediate establishment of the 
contemplated institution ; and a committee was appointed, 
of which I was the chairman, to draught a plan, as the consti- 
tution of a theological seminary. The draughting of a plan 
fell of course upon me, as the chairman of the committee. 
In hope of getting aid from my fellow members, I requested 
the committee to meet in New- York, at the house of Dr. 
Miller. The committee consisted of seven members, and 
if I remember right, but four of them met. We however 
spent the afternoon in talking about the plan of the contem- 
plated seminary. But when I sat seriously down to make a 
draught of the plan, I found that there was but one idea 
suggested by my brethren, that I could introduce into it. 
Nor had I any other guide than the nature of the subject ; 
and if I ever taxed my faculties to their best effort, it was 
jn this occasion. Two of the articles of the plan, when it 



DR. GREEN'S PLAN. 



was reported to the Assembly, were laid over to be considered 
in the following year, and to this day they have not been 
taken up — these articles related to the library and a theo- 
logical academy. 

" When I had completed a draught of the plan for the 
construction of the Seminary, I summoned the committee 
to meet at Princeton, on the day of Commencement. 1810. 
There was a general, but not a full attendance at that time ; 
and I shall never forget with what diffidence I submitted 
my draught to my brethren, not only being willing, but 
wishing that they would suggest alterations and improve- 
ments, and I was surprised when they suggested none of 
any importance. We knew that it was cum pericirfo that 
our plan should be published before it was reported to the 
Assembly. But we determined to do it, and to have copies 
enough printed to lay one on the table of eveiy member of the 
Assembly of the following yeaar, 1811. We were not blamed 
for this act by any one ; on the contrary, the members of 
the Assembly appeared to be gratified when they found that 
each was served with a copy. This plan has received a con- 
siderable number of modifications by the General Assemblies 
which have convened during the three and thirty years 
which have elapsed since its first adoption ; and yet no im- 
portant feature of the plan has been changed, and more than 
three fourths of the language remains as it was in the orignal 
composition." 

On a subject so important in itself, and so closely related 
to our chief subject, we may be allowed to go into some par- 
ticulars, by inserting the brief history of the project, pre- 
pared, as we believe, by the Rev. Dr. Miller. 



ORIGIN OF SEMINARY. 



301 



" After much counsel and prayer, the proposal to estab- 
lish a theological seminary for the Presbyterian Church was 
first introduced into the General Assembly, during the ses- 
sions of that body in May, a. d. 1809. It was introduced 
in the form of an overture or proposal from the Presbytery 
of Philadelphia. This overture was so far countenanced by 
the Assembly as to be referred to a select committee, who, 
after due deliberation on the subject, brought in the follow- 
ing report, which, being read, was adopted, and became the 
act of the Assembly, in the following words, viz. 

" c The committee appointed on the subject of a theo- 
logical school, overtured from the Presbytery of Philadelphia, 
report, 

" c That three modes of compassing this important ob- 
ject have presented themselves to their consideration. 

" 6 The first is, to establish one great school, in some con- 
venient place near the centre of the bounds of our Church. 

" - The second is, to establish two such schools, in such 
places as may best accommodate the northern and southern 
divisions of the Church. 

" ' The third is, to establish such a school within the 
bounds of each of the Synods. In this case, your committee 
suggest the propriety of leaving it to each Synod to direct 
the mode of forming the school, and the p]ace where it shall 
be established. 

" c The advantages attending the first of the proposed 
modes, are, that it would be furnished with larger funds, 
and therefore with a more extensive library and a greater 
number of professors. The system of education pursued in 



302 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE. 



it would therefore be more extensive, and more perfect ; tin 
youth educated in it would also become more united in the 
same views, and contract an early and lasting friendship for 
each other ; circumstances which would not fail of promoting 
harmony and prosperity in the Church. The disadvantages 
attending this mode would be, principally, those derived 
from the distance of its position from the extremities of the 
Presbyterian bounds. 

" c The advantages attending the second of the proposed 
modes and the disadvantages, will readily suggest themselves, 
from a comparison of this with the other two. 

4 The advantages which would attend the third, to 
wit. the establishment of theological schools by the respective 
Synods, would be the following. The local situation of the 
respective schools would be peculiarly convenient for the 
several parts of a country so extensive, as that for the bene- 
fit of which they were designed. The inhabitants having 
the seminaries brought near to them, would feel a peculiar 
interest in their prosperity, and may be rationally expected 
to contribute much more liberally than to any single school, 
or even to two. The Synods, also, baring the immediate 
care of them, and directing, either in person or by delegation, 
all their concerns, would feel a similar interest, and would 
probably be better pleased with a system formed by them- 
selves, and therefore peculiarly suited to the wishes and in- 
terests of the several parts of the Church immediately under 
their direction. Greater efforts, therefore, may be expected 
from ministers and people, to promote the prosperity of 
these schools, than of any other. The disadvantages of this 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE. 



303 



mode would be, the inferiority of the funds ; a smaller num- 
ber of professors ; a smaller library, and a more limited 
system of education in each. The students, also, as now, 
would be strangers to each other. 

" c Should the last of these modes be adopted, your com- 
mittee are of the opinion, that every thing pertaining to 
the erection and conduct of each school, should be left to 
the direction of the respective Synods. If either of the first, 
the whole should be subject to the control of the Genera] 
Assembly. 

" c Your committee also suggest, that, in the former of 
these cases, the funds for each school should be raised within 
the bounds of the Synod within which it was stationed. In 
the latter, they should be collected from the whole body of 
the Church. 

" ' Tour committee, therefore, submit the following reso- 
lution, to wit : 

" 6 Besolved, That the above plans be submitted to all the 
Presbyteries within the bounds of the General Assembly, for 
their consideration ; and that they be careful to send up to 
the next Assembly, at their sessions in May, 1810, their 
opinions on the subject/ 

" Agreeably to this resolution, the three alternate plans 
which it contemplates, were sent down to all the Presby- 
teries, to be considered and decided upon by them. 

" At the meeting of the next General Assembly, in May, 
1810, the Presbyteries were called upon to state what they 
had respectively done with respect to the recommendation 
of the last Assembly, relative to the establishment of a theo- 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE. 



logical school. The reports from the several Presbyteries on 
this subject, having been read, were referred to a select com- 
mittee to consider and report on the same. This committee 
made a report, which, being read and amended, was adopted, 
as follows, viz. : 

" c The committee, after maturely deliberating on the 
subject committed to them, submit to the Assembly the 
following results. 

" c I. It is evident, that not only a majority of the Pres- 
byteries which have reported on this subject, but also a 
majority of all the Presbyteries under the care of this Assem- 
bly, have expressed a decided opinion in favour of the es- 
tablishment of a theological school or schools in our Church. 

" c II. It appears to the committee, that although ac- 
cording to the statement already reported to the Assembly, 
there is an equal number of Presbyteries in favour of the first 
plan, which contemplates a single school for the whole 
Church : and in favour of the third jjl&a, which contemplates 
the erection of a school in each Synod ; yet, as several of 
the objections made to the first plan, are founded entirely 
on misconception,* and will be completely obviated by de- 

* "Some of the Presbyteries objected to a single theological seniinarv, for 
the whole Church, because they apprehended that, if this plan were adopted, 
every Presbytery would become thereby bound to send all their candidates 
to study in it, however inconvenient or expensive it might be. Others were 
fearful, that the Professors, in such a seminary, if they were not formally 
empowered to license candidates to preach the Gospel, might be clothed 
with powers out of which such an abuse would naturally grow, thereby en- 
dangering both the purity and peace of the Church, and giving to a few men 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE. 



305 



veloping the details of that plan ; it seems fairly to follow 
that there is a greater amount of Presbyterial suffrage in 
favour of a single school, than of any other plan. 

" * III. Under these circumstances, the committee are of 
opinion, that, as much light has been obtained from the 
reports of Presbyteries on this subject, as would be likely to 
result from a renewal of the reference : that no advantage 
will probably arise from further delay in this important con- 
cern ; but, on the contrary, much serious inconvenience and 
evil ; that the present General Assembly is bound to attempt 
to carry into execution some one of the jDlans proposed ; and 
that the first plan appearing to have, on the whole, the 
greatest share of public sentiment in its favour, ought of 
course to be adopted. 

" 6 IV. Your committee, therefore, recommend that the 
present General Assembly declare its approbation and 
adoption of this plan, and immediately commence a course 
of measures for carrying it into execution, as promptly and 
extensively as possible ; and for this purpose they recom- 
mend to the Assembly the adoption of the following reso- 
lutions, viz. : — 

" c Resolved, 1. That the state of our churches, the loud 
and affecting call of destitute frontier settlements, and the 
laudable exertions of various Christian denominations around 
us, all demand that the collected wisdom, piety, and zeal of 

very dangerous influence. It was for the purpose of obviating these, and other 
objections to a single seminary, that the sixth, seventh and eighth resolutions, 
in a subsequent page, were adopted by the General Assembly." 



306 



REFOKT OF COMMITTEE. 



the Presbyterian Church be, without delay, called into 
action for furnishing the Church with a larger supply of able 
and faithful ministers. 

" 6 2. That the General Assembly will, in the name of the 
Great Head of the Church, immediately attempt to establish 
a seminary for securing to candidates for the ministry a more 
extensive and efficient theological instruction than they have 
heretofore enjoyed. The local situation of this seminary is 
hereafter to be determined. 

" c 3. That in this seminary, when completely organized, 
there shall be at least three professors, who shall be elected 
by and hold their office during the pleasure of the General 
Assembly, and who shall give a regular course of instruction 
in divinity, in oriental and biblical literature, and in eccle- 
siastical history and church government, and on such other 
subjects as may be deemed necessary. It being, however, 
understood, that until sufficient funds can be obtained for 
the complete organization and support of the proposed semi- 
nary, a smaller number of professors than three may be 
appointed to commence the business of instruction. 

" c 4. That exertions be made to provide such an amount 
of funds for this seminary as will enable its conductors to 
afford gratuitous instruction, and where it is necessary, gra- 
tuitous support to all such students as may not themselves 
possess adequate pecuniary means. 

" c 5. That the Eev. Doctors Green, Woodhull, Eomeyn, 
and Miller, the Eev. Messrs. Archibald Alexander, James 
Richards, and Amzi Armstrong, be a committee to digest 
md prepare a plan of a theological seminary, embracing in 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE. 3(J7 

detail tne fundamental principles of the institution, together 
with regulations for guiding the conduct of the instructors 
and the students, and prescribing the best mode of visiting, 
controlling, and supporting the whole system. This plan to 
be reported to the next General Assembly. 

" c 6. That, as filling the Church with a learned and able 
ministry without a corresponding portion of real piety, would 
be a curse to the world and an offence to God and his peo- 
ple, so the General Assembly think it their duty to state, 
that in establishing a seminary for training up ministers, it is 
their earnest desire to guard as far as possible against so 
great an evil. And they do hereby solemnly pledge them- 
selves to the churches under their care, that in forming and 
carrying into execution the plan of the proposed seminary, 
it will be their endeavour to make it, under the blessing of 
God, a nursery of vital piety as well as of sound theological 
learning, and to train up persons for the ministry who shall 
be lovers as well as defenders of the truth as it is in Jesus, 
friends of revivals of religion, and a blessing to the Church 
of God. 

" 1 7. That as the Constitution of our Church guarantees 
to every Presbytery the right of judging of its own candi- 
dates for licensure and ordination, so the Assembly think it 
proper to state most explicitly, that every Presbytery and 
Synod will of course be at liberty to countenance the pro- 
posed plan or not, at pleasure ; and to send their students 
to the projected seminary, or keep them, as heretofore, 
within their own bounds, as they may think most conducive 
to the prosperity of the Church. 



FIRST MEETING OF DIRECTORS. 



u '8. That the Professors in the seminary shall not, in 
any case, be considered as having a right to license candi- 
dates to preach the Gospel ; but that all such candidates 
shall be remitted to their respective Presbyteries to be 
licensed, as heretofore/ 

" The committee appointed to prepare a constitution in 
detail for the contemplated seminary, made report to the 
General Assembly which convened in 1811." * 

The first meeting of the Directors was held June 30, 
1812, and was opened with a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Green, 
who was immediately elected President of the Board, an 
office which he held as long as he lived. When, three years i « 
later, the beginnings of an edifice were made, the corner- 
stone was laid by the same venerable man. " I consider/' 
said he, " the agency I have had in providing ministers of the 
Gospel for the Church, and in securing the means for their i : 
adequate instruction, and for an attention to their personal 
piety, as the most important service that I have ever rendered s 
to the Church of Christ/''- 

Few things which we have to relate could be more inter- 
esting, if it were possible to recover it, than an account of 
the state of mind with which Dr. Alexander regarded the 
universal disposition of the Church to make him its first 
theological professor. But not a letter, not a memorandum, . 
not a line remains to tell the story. His characteristic mo- 
desty must have made this a severe trial. In his best days, 
and after his longest experience and completest successes, he 



* Brief History of the Theological Seminary. Princeton, 1838. 



CHOICE OF PROFESSOR. 



300 



was accustomed to bow very iow under a sense of his own 
insufficiency. But then, with powers all untried, to be called 
from his retirement to assume the teacher's office, was an 
eyent as embarrassing as it was unexpected. From the 
analogy of his whole life and feelings, we are persuaded that 
bis final consent to undertake the task was produced by high 
religious feelings, and a profound recognition of his responsi- 
bility to the Head of the Church. 

From a source unknown to us, we insert an affecting ac- 
count, from one who was present at the election. 

" In the year 1812, the General Assembly, then in ses- 
sion in the city of Philadelphia, resolved to go into the 
election of Professor. The Kev. Mr. Flinn, of Charleston, 
South Carolina, was Moderator. It was unanimously re- 
solved to spend some time in prayer previously to the election, 
and that not a single remark should be made by any member 
with reference to any candidate, before or after the balloting. 
Silently and prayerfully these guardians of the Church began 
to prepare their votes. They felt the solemnity of the oc- 
casion, the importance of their trust. Not a word was 
spoken, not a whisper heard, as the teller passed around to 
collect the result. The votes were counted, the result de- 
clared, and the Eev. Dr. Alexander was pronounced elected. 
A venerable elder of the church in Philadelphia, of which 
Dr. Alexander was pastor, arose to speak. But his feeling? 
choked utterance. How could he part with his beloved 
pastor ? His tears flowed until he sat down in silence. The 
Eev. Dr. Miller arose and said that he hoped the brother 
elected would not decline, however reluctant he might feel 



310 



THE ELECTION. 



to accept ; that if he had been selected by the voice of 
the Church, however great the sacrifice, he would not dare 
refuse. Little did he dream that on the following year he 
should be called by the same voice to give up the attractions 
of the city, to devote his life to the labours of an instructor. 
The Bev. Mr. Flinn called on the Eev. Dr. Woodhull, of 
Monmouth, to follow in prayer. He declined. Two others 
were called on, and they declined, remarking that it was the 
Moderator's duty. He then addressed the throne of grace 
in such a manner, with such a strain of elevated devotion, 
that the members of the Assembly all remarked that he 
seemed almost inspired; weeping and sobbing were heard 
throughout the house. 

" Amid the tears and prayers of the Church, Dr. Alex- 
ander was elected to the office. Amid the prayers and tears 
of the Church, he was laid in the tomb. But three of the 
members of that Assembly, it is believed, are now living. 
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children."* 

When it became necessary to announce his determination 
to the people of his charge, it was in the following terms. 

" As it is known to this congregation that I have been 
appointed by the General Assembly to be a Professor in the 
Theological School which they are about to establish at 
Princeton, New Jersey, and as the time draws near when it 
will be expected that I should declare my mind in relation 
to this appointment, I have judged it proper and expedient, 



* The Presbyterian. 



PASTORAL FAREWELL. 



311 



in the first place, to make a communication to you, the dear 
people of my charge. 

" After viewing this important subject in every light in 
which I could place it, and after having earnestly sought 
the direction of Heaven, it does appear to me to be the call 
of Providence, which I cannot and ought not to resist. 

" This resolution has not been formed under the influ- 
ence of any dissatisfaction with my present condition, nor 
from any want of affection to this people ; for since I have 
been your pastor, no event has occurred to disturb that peace 
and harmony which should ever exist between minister and 
people ; and I have had no reason to doubt the sincerity and 
cordiality of the attachment of this congregation to me from 
the first day I came amongst them until this time. For all 
their respect and attention, and especially for that readiness 
with which they have received the word at my mouth, c I 
give thanks to God/ I moreover wish to say, that I do not 
know a single congregation within the bounds of our Church, 
of which I would choose to be pastor in preference to this. 
No invitation, therefore, from any other would ever have 
separated us. 

" I did expect to live and die with you, unless ill health 
(with which I have been threatened of late) should have 
made a removal expedient. But we know nothing of the 
designs of Providence with regard to us. God's dispensations 
are unsearchable. In the whole of this business, thus far, I 
have been entirely passive. I never expected or sought this 
appointment. When it was mentioned to me by some mem- 



312 



FAREWELL ADDRESS. 



bers of the Assembly, the day it took place, my answer was, 9 
that I sincerely wished they would think of some other per- 
son ; that it was an office which I did not covet, and for 
which I felt myself altogether unqualified. But when asked 
whether I would give the subject a serious and deliberate 
consideration if I should be appointed, I answered that 
this I durst not oppose. 

" Since the appointment has been made, I have thought 
much, but said little. I have seriously and deliberately 
considered the subject. I never viewed any decision to be 
made by me in so important a light. I think I have de- 
sired to do the will of G-od, and have, as earnestly as I could, 
asked his counsel and guidance, and the result is, that I am 
convinced that I ought not refuse such a call. 

" To train up young men for the ministry, has always 
been considered of higher importance to the Church of 1 
Christ than to preach the Gospel to a particular flock already 
gathered into the fold ; and it has always been considered as 
a sufficient reason for dissolving the pastoral relation between 
minister and people, that he was wanted for this employ- 
ment ; and sister churches, which do not allow of removals - 
from our pastoral charge [?] do nevertheless admit this to/ 
be a sufficient reason for the translation of a minister. 

" In addition to this, it ought to be considered that this 
call comes to me in a very peculiar way. It is not the call 
of a College, or University, or any such institution, but it is 
the call of the whole Church by their representatives. And | 
I confess that it has weighed much with my mind, that this I 



FAREWELL ADDRESS. 



313 



appointment was made by the General Assembly in circum- 
stances of peculiar seriousness and solemnity, and after 
special prayer for Divine direction and superintendence, and 
by an almost unanimous vote. Perhaps it would be difficult 
to find a disinterested person who would not say, under such 
circumstances, - It is your duty to go — it appears to be the 
call of God ; 7 and I do believe that the majority of this 
congregation are convinced in their judgment, whatever their 
feelings may dictate, that I should be out of my duty to 
refuse. Indeed, I cannot but admire the deportment of the 
people in relation to this matter. Although tenderly affected, 
and many of you grieved at heart, you have not ventured 
to say i stay/ You saw that there was something remarkable 
in the dispensation, and you knew not but that the finger of 
God was in the affair, and therefore, with a submissive spirit, 
you were disposed to say, ' The will of the Lord be done/ 

"It does appear hard, indeed, that this bereavement 
should fall upon you who have already been bereaved so 
often ; but consider that He who causeth the wound, hath 
power to heal it, and can turn this event to your greater 
advantage ; and I entertain a confident persuasion, that if 
you willingly make this sacrifice for the good of the Church, 
the great Head of the Church will furnish you with a pastor 
after his own heart, who will feed you with knowledge. Com- 
mit your case to him with fervent prayer and humble confi- 
dence, and he will not forget nor forsake you. 

" My dear brethren, as we have lived in peace and love, I 
hope that we shall part in the same spirit. I hope that we 
shall remember one another unceasingly at the throne of 



314 INAUGURATION. 

grace. Let us recollect the times and seasons when we have 
taken sweet converse together in this house, and other places 
where prayer is wont to be made. If any shall choose to be 
displeased, and follow me with hard speeches instead of 
prayers, I shall not return unto them as they measure unto 
me. I will not resent their conduct. I desire ever to be 
disposed to bear you as a people on my heart with tender 
love ; and now to His grace and kind protection do I commit 
you. Farewell ! " 

The inauguration, which we anticipate for the sake of 
connection, took place on the twelfth day of August, 1812. 
It was an occasion of great solemnity and feeling. The 
older ministers, especially those to whom the direction was 
entrusted, looked with parental yearnings on the infant 
seminary, and none were more ready to hail with thankful- 
ness and hope the approach of new means for training the 
ministry, than those excellent men who lamented the scan- 
tiness of their own early opportunities. But to none did 
the service of the day bring greater solicitude than to him 
who was about to put on armour for which he unaffectedly 
felt too weak. The first discourse was a sermon by Dr. Mil- 
ler, of New-York, on the Duty of the Church to take meas- 
ures for providing an Able and Faithful Ministry ; from the 
words, u And the things which thou hast heard of me, among 
many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who 
shall be able to teach others also :" 2 Timothy, ii. 2. It was 
an able investigation of the question, what is to be under- 
stood by an able and faithful ministry, which was made to 
include piety, talents, learning and diligence ; and of the 



professor's discourse. 



315 



means which the Church is bound to employ for providing 
such a ministry. 

The Inaugural Discourse of the Professor was founded 
on the words, " Search the Scriptures/' John v. 39 ; and 
was a learned argument in behalf of biblical study. In one 
respect the whole performance was true to the habit and 
character of the speaker ; for it did not contain, from begin- 
ning to end, the faintest allusion to his own personality. 
All deprecation of censure, and all promise of fidelity, were 
equally absent. It was followed by a charge to the Pro- 
fessor and Students of Divinity, by the Eev. Philip Milledo- 
ler, D. D. All concerned have since gone to their reward ; 
and of the Directors, before whom these addresses were de- 
livered, the only survivors are the Eev. President Nott, the 
Eev. William Neffl, D. D., the Eev. John McDowell, D. D., 
and the Eev. Francis Herron, D. D. It is for the public to 
determine how far the work in which these good men then 
engaged, with such earnestness and many prayers, has con- 
duced to the progress of religion and learning in the United 
States. 

It was with an unfeigned reluctance that Dr. Alexander 
accepted the appointment. No man could entertain a 
higher estimate of the functions which awaited him ; no 
man of eminence could think more humbly of himself. All 
his life long he was free to acknowledge, that his training, 
however laborious, had lacked much of the rigour and me- 
thod of the schools ; and while he had pursued knowledge 
with enthusiasm, and in many fields, he knew that it had 



316 



PREPARATIONS. 



been with the neglect of certain forms which are supposed to 
give fitness for the academical chair. Theology had indeed 
been the study of his life. Its difficult questions had been 
the constant occupation of his profoundest meditations ; and 
he had during his residence in Philadelphia gathered about 
him the great masters of Latin theology, whose works ap- 
peared in Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and France, in 
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A rare occasion 
for adding to his stock of Dutch theology was afforded by 
the sale of a library belonging to a learned minister from 
Holland, the Kev. Mr. Van Harlingen, of Somerset. In 
relation to this, his friend, Mr. Kice, thus wrote : "I could 
not help exclaiming, when I heard of the fine library you 
have purchased, 6 fortunati ! ' but I could hardly add, 
c Haud equidem invideo!' But why should I repine ? I 
have more books than I can read."* These Keformed di- I 
vines he regarded as having pushed theological investigation I 
to its greatest length, and compacted its conclusions into 
the most symmetrical method. He was accustomed to say 
that in his judgment Keformed theology reached its culmi- . 
nating point about the epoch of the Synod of Dordrecht. 
To these great authors he turned with unabated zest during 
the whole of a long and studious life. He once said to the i 
writer, that on a perplexed subject he preferred Latin to 
English reading ; not only because of the complete and 
ingenious nomenclature which had grown up in the dialectic 
schools of the church, but because the little effort required 
for getting the sense kept his attention concentrated. It was 

i 

* Mr. Rice to Dr. Alexander, November 4, 1813. 



THEOLOGICAL BEADING. 



317 



indeed almost amusing to observe how he would hang over 
the massive quarto or folio, with all the awakened inter- 
est of a novel-reader. In consequence of the fiery contro- 
versy which characterized those times, and the scholastic 
acumen and philosophic adventure and logical exactness 
which belonged to the age, he considered these scholars as 
having anticipated most of the minor questions which have 
vexed the church in later times. His penchant for meta- 
physical investigation urged him, from an early date, to make 
himself acquainted with the philosophies of the periods, from 
which each system took its tincture, and without which it is 
impossible to survey the several schemes from a just point 
of view. Thus he perused, and generally in their sources, 
not only the peripatetic and scholastic writers, but the trea- 
tises of Des Cartes, Leibnitz, Wolff, and Voetius. And 
there was no subject on which he discoursed with more 
pleasure or success than on the exposition and comparison 
of these ingenious though now exploded systems. He made 
himself familiar with the Christian Fathers, both Greek and 
Latin, and perused them at intervals during forty years ; 
some of his very last labours having been in this field. At 

; a certain period he examined all that they had written on 

! the Divinity of our Lord ; and this formed a subject of lively 
intercourse between him and Dr. Miller. It is particularly 
remembered with what surprise and admiration he spoke of 
the felicitous subtilty of Cyril. It was his delight to seek 

I out the portions of truth in the books of ancient authors. 

• Nor did he confine himself to writers on one side. Through 
long years he was wont to seek with patience the best works 



THEOLOGICAL READING. 



in defence of popery ; the argumentative dissertations of the 
extreme Lutherans and Dutch Remonstrants, as well as the 
Fratres Poloni and other champions of Socinianism. It 
ueed scarcely be added that he was fa mil iar with English 
theology, as treated both by authors of the Established 
Church, and by the great Nonconformist divines. His 
recent travels in New England, and the prevailing excite- 
ment caused by the speculations of Hopkins and Emmons, 
served to keep him observant in regard to the phases of 
opinion in the American churches. As it respects his own 
conclusions, he has left on record the statement, that on his 
return from New England, and during his residence in Phil- 
adelphia, his views, which had been somewhat modified by 
eastern suggestions, began to fix themselves more definitely 
in the direction of the common Westminster theology. In 
many respects, therefore, he was well fitted for the difficult 
post to which the Church was summoning him. 

But there were other branches of learning, tributary to the 
teacher's place, which had occupied his attention. His ex- 
traordinary tenacity of memory, which seemed never to let 
go a fact entrusted to it, gave him both taste and facility 
for historical study ; and we have never met with any one 
who was more at home in all the annals of ecclesiastical 
record For reasons already indicated the events were made 
to revolve in his mind around the momentous points of theo- 
logical determination : so that the history of doctrine, includ- 
ing the rise and progress of errors, the decisions of councils, 
controversial authorship and the establishment of symbols 
and of sects, became favourite objects of inquiry. On these 



BIBLICAL STUDIES. 



319 



subjects he amassed an extraordinary amount of original 
manuscript, and from these sources he was accustomed to 
enliven and diversify his dogmatical instructions. 

In the classical languages he was well read, though with- 
out scrupulous care for those niceties of metre and accent, in 
which English scholars take a pride. The Greek of the 
New Testament was familiar to him from incessant perusal. 
No day passed without deliberate study of this sacred original. 
And in his later years a beautiful Glasgow edition of Gries- 
bach was commonly in his hands during all the private hours 
of the Lord's day. Indeed, he frequently complained that 
this practice had, to a certain extent, unfitted him for textual 
citation of the English, version in extemporaneous discourse, 
lie accustomed his children to read the Greek Testament, 
long before they arrived at it as a school-study ; and this 
exercise, between morning prayers and breakfast, was kept 
up for some years. We have already recorded his first ac- 
quaintance with the Hebrew Bible. From that hour he never 
relaxed in his efforts to master the venerable language. His 
first successful attempts were made in Philadelphia, where 
he was stimulated by the example and the counsels of Dr. 
Wilson, and aided by the lessons of Hurwitz, a learned Jew. 
The splendid large paper, Michaelis edition of Halle, which 
he acquired about this time, now lies before us. It was one 
of his peculiarities that he treated books with a religious 
tenderness, never making in any one of them so much as a 
marginal note. This volume was in his hands for nearly 
half a century, and to the last of his reading he perused at 
least one chapter of Hebrew every day. ' 



320 



ARRIVAL. 



In natural connection with this was the study of Criti- 
cism and Hermeneutics. Although in regard to the latter 
he was indebted chiefly to the older school, his curiosity was 
wakeful and his knowledge extensive. The history of great 
manuscripts, versions and editions was deeply fixed in his 
mind, and he always spoke of them with the familiarity 
which the mineralogist has with the specimens of his cabinet. 
The qualifications on which we have slightly touched were 
the more important, as the new professor was expected to 
begin his labours with an attempt in every department of 
theological study. 

In the month of July, 1812, Dr. Alexander arrived in 
Princeton, with his wife then in the bloom and freshness of a 
health which endured to old age, and with four children, of 
whom the oldest was not nine years old. The change to a 
green and any village, from a heated and populous city, was 
exceedingly grateful to one who had been reared in the 
mountains, and to whom the restrictions and conventionali- 
ties of civic life were always a penance. Disposed at all 
times to give frank and prompt expression to what rose 
within him, he felt the stricture of a great town and its 
ways, and often longed for the shade and scope of the 
country. It was perhaps this which led him to regard his 
sojourn in Philadelphia as the least agreeable portion of his 
life. But now he was to resume what might be called a 
country life, and we remember the almost boyish glee with 
which he saluted and indicated to his children the salient 
points of rural prospects. He came with his own horses, 
and for some years was accustomed with his family to spend 



PEINCETON. 



321 



much time in easy drives among the pleasing scenes of that 
delightful neighbourhood, and to places where his appoint- 
ments lay. In early life he was a bold and dexterous horse- 
man. He came to be the tiller of a garden, in which art, 
however, he did not lay out special endeavours. The dwell- 
ing to which he came was small and inconvenient, in the 
least inviting part of the borough ; later years afforded him 
a much more suitable abode. 

On arriving at so important a point in our simple and 
uneventful history, and at the place from which it is no more 
to remove, we may be allowed to pause a little over the 
locality. Princeton is a village which holds out attractions 
from its high site and its historical associations. At that 
time it stood upon the county line between Middlesex and 
Somerset, and just where the hilly or upland country begin? 
to subside into the tamer slopes which extend towards the 
ocean, but which swell eastward into a graceful line of blue 
Monmouth hills. The village was for many years little else 
than a gathering of houses around the College, which had 
been here for half a century. It had been further signalized 
by the battle of Princeton, and by the temporary presence 
of the old Congress. Every thing, however, had reference 
to the great and venerable literary institution, whose officers 
were the most prominent persons in the place. The ancient 
edifice, the ample lawns, and spreading trees, made its 
grounds, then as now, the principal charm of the village. Its 
cemetery contained the ashes of Burr, Davies, Edwards and 
Witherspoon ; and in the neighbourhood, as you rise towards 
a hard rocky ridge, was the farm of the last named, which he 
had called Tusculum. 



322 



PRINCETON FAMILIES. 



At this time Princeton was not without many persons of 
note, some of whom may be mentioned as more or less con- 
nected with the subject of this memoir, Doctor Samuel 
Stanhope Smith was living, and was approaching the term of 
his presidentship ; and he was beyond question the person 
to whom most eyes were directed with favour and admiration. 
He is distinctly remembered by us, as he then appeared, in a 
beautiful old age surpassing any that we have known. He 
was tall, slender and feeble, but erect. The clear soft skin, 
and delicate complexion, and mild blue eye, were remarkably 
exempt from the traces of age. Many a pupil will recall his 
stately venerable form, as he walked with velvet cap and 
academic gown, in those processions which took place at 
least every Sunday, from Nassau-Hall to the church. The 
days of Dr. Smith's activity were nearly ended, and he soon 
afterwards resigned. He was celebrated for his acquaintance 
with elegant letters, for the eloquence of his pulpit dis- 
courses, and for the matchless courtliness of his manners. 
He had formed himself upon the best masters of the French 
school ; in which endeavour his most celebrated pupil was 
the Kev. Dr. Henry Kollock, one of the most ornate yet 
vehement orators whom our country has produced ; and who 
had until recently been the pastor of the village church. 

Dr. John Maclean, a native of Scotland, father of Presi- 
dent Maclean, was at this time vice-president of the College, 
and was eminent as a mathematician and a chemist. The 
Stockton family, always among the most prominent of the 
place, was represented by Eichard Stockton of Morven, the 
second of the name, well remembered as one of the most able 



PERSONAL TRAITS. 



323 



members of the New J ersey bar, and aiso as a Senator of the 
United States. Samuel Bayard, a descendant of the Hu- 
guenot refugees, a ruling elder in the church, an author of 
several works, and a man of mild and affectionate piety, was 
a friend, who, as long as he lived, was cherished by Dr. Alex- 
ander with true regard. To whom may be added, Dr. John 
Vancleve, Colonel Beatty, and others, long since depart- 
ed, equally respected, but whose names would scarcely interest 
the general reader. But time has wrought sad changes. Of 
some of the families here mentioned not a vestige remains : 
and the writer feels the flight of years, when he observes 
that only one house in the long and thickly peopled principal 
street of Princeton is occupied by the same family as in 1812. 

Thus at the age of forty years Dr. Alexander was girding 
on the harness of his most important exertion ; at a stage 
when, if ever, the human powers are in fulness of vigour, and, 
as the event proved, at the precise middle point of his life. 
His health, though never robust, was not threatened by any 
serious indications, and had not yet succumbed to inordinate 
study. In Philadelphia he had suffered from short but 
violent attacks of rheumatism, and he was beginning by slow 
degrees to recognise a train of nervous symptoms, from 
which he afterwards endured great discomfort. His habits 
were settled, and his mental and moral character had taken 
their leading configuration. 

Pausing for a moment to recall the picture as then pre- 
sented, we do not find many striking lines to be added to 
those already given. In person he was thin, but his coun- 
tenance was full of life, his complexion was clear, his teeth 



324 



PERSONAL TRAITS. 



as yet spared, his locks, though slightly silvered, unusually 
full, and his eye mobile and piercing to an extraordinary de- 
gree, as none can forget who ever saw him. As compared 
with his later self, we should say that he was characterized 
by the great spring and vivacity of his manner and discourse ; 
more disposed to converse, bold and ready in argument, 
sometimes keen in answer or reproof, always open to the 
point of what was gay or humorous, free with his children 
and their comrades, enthusiastic in his love of scenery and of 
music, with a frankness and naturalness in the expression of 
opinions and sentiments, which was the more delightful the 
more it receded from the canons of artificial society. His 
opinions were formed, his lines of study marked out, and in 
regard to his manner in preaching the Gospel, he was un- 
questionably at a point beyond which he never rose. 



CHAPTEE THIRTEENTH. 



1812. 



OPENING OF SEMTNAEY — PLAN — ANTECEDENT QUALIFICATIONS — EARLY 
METHODS — INTEECOUESE WITH STUDENTS — EVENING; SEEMONS — ACCES- 
SION OF DE. MILLEE — EELATIONS OF THE PEOFESSOES. 



MODEST man could scarcely be placed in more trying 



-Ex. circumstances than was Dr. Alexander in his new post. 
It is much easier to carry on the routine of an established 
institution, than to draught the original plan. In this case 
many things remained to be done. The scheme was not so 
much to be carried out as to be created. There was not 
only no foregoing incumbent, in whose steps to tread, but 
there could scarcely be said to be any precedent. In our day 
we are familiar with theological seminaries, among Baptists, 
Episcopalians, and Methodists ; but at that time, such insti- 
tutions, as distinct from colleges and universities, were new 
in America, and scarcely known in Europe. In Great 
Britain, France and Holland, clerical training is pursued at 
the universities ; and even the Prediger-Seminar of some 
German States is of late origin, besides being very different 
from our theological schools. 




326 



OPENING OF SEMINARY. 



From the existence for so many years at Princeton of 
both College and Seminary, the misapprehension has some- 
what naturally prevailed that the two schools are connected ; 
whereas they have always been totally distinct ; one being an 
independent chartered institution under a close corporation, 
owning no necessary alliance with any sect, and the other 
a strictly ecclesiastical foundation, managed by trustees, 
and superintended by directors appointed from time to time 
by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. There 
had indeed been theological lectures in the College of New- 
Jersey, and eminent men had proceeded from the instruc- 
tions of Witherspoon and Smith, but the experiment was 
now to be tried of a separate and additional curriculum ; and 
from this time, all strictly professional lessons in divinity 
ceased to be delivered in the College. 

The Committee of the General Assembly had indeed 
prepared a general scheme or programme of a theological 
course to be observed in the new seminary, and in the con- 
struction of this, which was framed by Dr. Green, Dr. Alex- 
ander's views were largely contributed. But now, as sole 
professor for a time, he was to strengthen this outline, to fill 
up its details, and to cany the work into laborious execution. 
It can scarcely be doubted that these were among the most 
anxious moments of his life. With the highest views of 
what was demanded, he unfeignedly shrank from the re- 
sponsibility of realizing his large idea, and would doubtless 
have laid down the attempt, but from the deep persuasion 
that the call was of God, and from the hope that his hands 
would soon be strengthened by the accession of a suitable 



LANGUAGE. 



327 



colleague. His first solicitude was concerned in drafting a 
plan of study for the three years which had been allotted for 
the course. He was next to address himself to the work of 
actual instruction. However well furnished in several de- 
partments with the general knowledge implied in ministerial 
accomplishment, he was necessarily destitute of all special 
preparations. Not only were lectures to be written, on 
branches lying far asunder, but such lacuna were to be filled 
up, as exist here and there in the acquisitions of the most 
diligent student ; while the whole modus of communicating 
knowledge and conducting discipline was as yet an affair of 
tentative and doubtful effort. 

Although called primarily to be a teacher of theology, 
in its stricter acceptation, he was led both by strong native 
tastes and by convictions of reason, to give first attention to 
the criticism and interpretation of the original Scriptures. 
With the Greek, as has been intimated, he was sufficiently 
familiar to be a competent instructor ; but Hebrew literature 
was in its infancy in America. The works of Gesenius were 
as yet unknown, and the learned labours of Gibbs and Stuart 
had not been given to the world. Even in New England 
the vowel-points were for a time held in suspicion, and those 
who desired to penetrate into their mysteries were fain to 
seek after the difficult and very rare volumes of Buxtorf, 
Leusden and Opitius. Conscious of his own imperfect 
knowledge, he modestly but indefatigably set about the work 
of inculcation, and the few survivors of those small classes 
will readily testify how zealously and even enthusiastically 
he toiled with them among the knotted roots of Hebrew 



328 



BIBLICAL COURSE. 



rudiments. For a number of years, and with increasing 
ability, he worked in this field, until relieved by the services 
of a beloved pupil, the Eeverend Charles Hodge, now senioi 
professor in the Seminary. As it regards Criticism and 
Hermeneutics, it was a department which had great charms 
for him, and by extensive reading, compiling and original in- 
vestigation, he prepared to furnish a system of instruction, 
which for some years he delivered as lectures, a number of 
which still remain among his papers. We can call to mind 
no subject in which he was more uniformly interested, than 
the fortunes of the Hebrew and Greek text, the annals of 
translation and recension, and the principles of hermeneuti- 
cal study. To this he added copious instructions in Biblical 
Archaeology, on which he prepared numerous discourses, and 
which remained under his control for many years. The 
manuscripts on this subject in our possession are more than 
would fill a single large volume. It was a topic which 
awakened his profound attention and lively feeling ; for no 
man looked more reverently on the typical Christ ology 
of the levitical law ; and none of his pupils can forget the j • 
awe with which he approached the recesses of the expiatory 
system, or the felicitous use which he made of the altar and i 
the propitiatory, in his more purely theological exposition of j • 
the Atonement. Though far from the extreme of Cocceius, 
and though falling short of Witsms in his interpretation of ! : 
Mosaic symbols, he nevertheless differed still more from that 
rationalizing school of American divines, then becoming loud 
and influential, who were disposed to reduce the contents of ! 
Jevitical typology to a minimum. We have lived to see a 
healthful reaction against this extreme tendency. 



THEOLOGY. 



329 



As might have been expected, however, his primary 
attention was bestowed upon the large round of topics in- 
cluded within the title of his peculiar professorship, that is, 
the statement, establishment, and defence of the doctrines 
which constitute the Christian system. Deeply persuaded 
that many theological errors have their origin in a bias de- 
rived from false metaphysics, he set about the methodizing 
of his thoughts upon mental philosophy, always keeping in 
hand the clew which he had received from his venerated 
preceptor, William Graham. The German philosophy was 
as yet unknown among us, and he was never led to travel 
the transcendental or " high priori road/' but treated mental 
phenomena on the inductive method, as the objects of a 
cautious generalization. While he uniformly recommended 
the perusal of Locke, it was as he often declared, not so much 
for the value of his particular conclusions, as for the spirit 
of his investigation, the calmness, patience, and transparent 
honesty of that truly great man. He likewise expressed 
great favour for Eeid, Beattie, Buffier, Campbell and Stew- 
art, with whose general methods, as well as their views of 
intuitive truths and constitutional principles of reason, he 
was in agreement, while he dissented from many of their 
definitions, distinctions, and tenets. These were subjects 
which fell in with his tastes, habits of thought and course of 
reading ; and as preliminary to the development of the re- 
vealed system, he regarded them as forming a necessary part 
of every complete theological course. And if the acuteness 
of his inquiry and the force of his reasoning were ever fully 
exhibited, it is in his lectures on the Will, and his elaborate 



336 



THEOLOGICAL METHODS. 



refutation of Dr. Thomas Brown's work on Causation. From 
year to year his scheme of mental philosophy took on a form 
of stricter method ; yet he may be said to have begun with 
it at his entrance upon public teaching. No portion of his 
course more awakened the interest of his auditors ; and such 
was the ingenuity with which he made these lessons bear on 
theological questions still in reserve, that in the days of 
church-controversy it used to be a common remark, that 
students who had been imbued with Dr. Alexander's me- 
taphysics were sure to swallow his entire system. Per- 
haps the same is true of every theological instructor who 
deduces a concatenated system from any clearly defined 
principles. 

From these topics he turned to the closely allied domain 
of Natural Eeligion. In regard to this, the only safe way of 
defining his theological position would be to publish his trea- 
tises, and any thing short of this might be misapprehended. 
While he was far from being a rationalist, he was never satis- 
fied with the tactics of those reasoners who under the pretext 
of exalting revelation, dismiss with contempt all arguments 
derived from the light of nature. Here he freely declared 
his judgment that many sound, able and pious men had 
greatly erred. He rendered due homage, therefore, to the 
labours of such writers as Nieuwentyt, the younger Turret- 
tine, and Paley, and spent much time in considering and 
unfolding with nice discrimination the various schemes of 
argument for the Being and Perfections of God, and the 
necessity and antecedent probability of a revelation. Con- 
nected closely with this was the discussion of Ethical Philos- 



THEOLOGICAL METHODS. 



331 



ophy, in which he taught from the outset the same doctrines 
which have been given to the world in a posthumous work, 
and which have awakened severe opposition from those who 
find them fatally inconsistent with modern systems of the- 
ology. 

The anxieties belonging to an attempt to lay down the 
great lines of a method for teaching the whole system of re- 
vealed truth, to those who were to be the ministers of the 
Church, were just and burdensome. There are a few living 
who can recollect the particulars of these instructions. As 
compared with those later methods which grew out of con- 
tinued experience with successive classes, they were probably 
more extemporaneous and colloquial ; there was more use 
of existing manuals, and less adventure of original expedi- 
ents. Dr. Alexander, herein concurring with Chalmers, con- 
ceived that theology was best taught by a wise union of the 
text-book with the free lecture. Finding no work in English 
which entirely met his demands, he placed in the hands of 
his pupils the Institutions of Francis Turrettine. It was 
ponderous, scholastic and in a dead language, but he believed 
in the process of grappling with difficulties ; he had felt the 
influence of this athletic sinewy reasoner on his own mind, 
1 and had observed that those who mastered his arguments 
■ were apt to be strong and logical divines. At this time 
' there had been no modern edition, and copies were rare ; but 
the classes were small, and the book was not laid aside until 
it became impossible to supply the demand. It would be 
very unjust to supj)ose that the young men were charged 
with the tenets of Turrettine, to the injury of their mental 



332 



PLANS OF INSTRUCTION. 



independence. It is indeed difficult to apprehend the force 
of a vulgar argument which sneers at text-books — the con- 
venient wisdom of the mighty dead — but admits any amount 
of unwritten dogmatism from the chair of the living pro- 
fessor. Dr. Alexander often dissented from the learned 
Genevan, and always endeavoured to cultivate in his students 
the spirit and habit of original investigation. It is likely 
that his labours at this period derived a peculiar vivacity 
from his time of life, from the freshness of the employment, 
and from the necessity of adapting himself to a limited 
circle. He very laboriously engaged in making such brief 
aids in the way of syllabus and compendium as might fur- 
nish to the student a manageable key to the whole classifica- 
tion. He prepared extensive and minute questions, going 
into all the ramifications of theology ; lists of which still re- 
main in the hands of some alumni. He assigned subjects 
for original dissertations, which were publicly read, and com- 
mented on by both professors and students ; a near approach 
to the acts held in the old university schools, under the scho- 
lastic moderator. To this were added, at a date which we 
find ourselves unable to fix with precision, the debates of a 
theological society, meeting weekly, always on some impor- 
tant topic, and always closed by the full and highly animated 
remarks of the professor. 

So far as we have been able to discover, the general plan 
of the studies in the Seminary received its form at this 
time ; there were subsequent additions and emendations, but 
the main trunks and branches remained the same. This is 
particularly true of the theological course, properly so called. 

24 



ARRANGEMENT OF TOPICS. 



333 



The natural and simple light, in which it was a characteristic 
of the professor to view all subjects, and the predominance 
of logical nexus as the element of association in his mind, 
concurred to cause a preference for the ancient and more 
obvious scheme of classifying Scripture truth. Hence he did 
not adopt the Federal method of arrangement, as it has 
been called, of Witsius ; great as was his sympathy with 
the evangelical warmth and unction of that school. For the 
same reasons his judgment disapproved the order suggested by 
Chalmers, in the preface to what remains of his original and 
striking but fragmentary theological course. For, while he 
agreed with this great author in considering the plan of re- 
demption as the ultimate scope and crowning glory of all 
theology, he nevertheless preferred as a medium of scientific 
communication, that disposition of topics which takes its 
departure from the Being, Attributes, and Works of Grod ; 
that is, from Theology in its strictest acceptation. On each 
head or title he was accustomed to assign a considerable por- 
tion of the text-book, to be carefully perused by the class, 
and to be made the subject of a sifting examination ; also 
naming the chief authors who had treated of the points re- 
spectively, and sometimes, when these works were numerous, 
allotting them to different students, with a requisition that 
they should give some account of each, either orally, or what 
was more common, in writing. This examination and these 
essays gave rise to brief but animated remarks from the 
chair, and he was never more felicitous or more convincing 
than in such impromptus ; in which his eye would kindle 
and flash, and his expressive face become radiant, as he 



334 



CONTEOVEKSIES. 



poured forth the gatherings of an extraordinary erudition, or 
pursued the thread of nice and delicate analysis, with a 
clearness and closeness of argument which his partial hearers 
thought unrivalled. To this was added, however, and with 
greater fulness as years advanced, the delivery of formal and 
elaborate lectures on the grand articles of the faith. 

The division of this department into Didactic and Po- 
lemic Theology, which the Plan of the institution made 
imperative, gave the professor an opportunity to go over all 
the leading doctrines in the way of defence against the 
objections of errorists, heretics and infidels. In doing this 
he brought to bear his remarkable stores of recondite reading. 
He gave the biography of eminent opponents, clear analyses 
of their systems, and refutation of their reasons. Of neces- 
sity he was thus carried into the field of DogmengescMchte, 
the progress of controversies, the debates and conclusions of 
councils, the construction of creeds, and the whole round of 
symbolical theology. What might be considered by some an 
inordinate length of time was devoted to the cardinal differ- 
ences, such as the controversy with Deists, Arians, Socinians, 
Pelagians, Arminians, Papists and Universalists ; all being 
made to revolve around the Calvinistic system, which, upon 
sincere conviction, he had adopted. 

To prevent a return to this subject, we shall here add a 
few words concerning methods which, as the growth of 
experience, were not matured until some years later. He 
was so earnestly in favour of having the young clergyman 
armed at all points against adversaries, that he greatly ex- 
tended his lectures, so as to embrace the varieties of Hea~ 



POLEMIC THEOLOGY. 



335 



thenism and Mohammedanism with which missionaries must 
be brought into conflict ; and also the forms of error which 
prevail in our Western country. Accordingly he has left 
copious reviews of Cainpbellism, Shakerism, and even Mor- 
monism, with details which show how largely and attentively 
he must have examined all the available authorities of these 
heretics. In conducting these studies, he alighted on a 
method which gave him great pleasure, and was always in- 
teresting to his pupils. Early in the session each member 
of the class had allotted to him some erroneous system or 
controversy, to be made the subject of a dissertation. The 
whole term was sometimes allowed for preparing these, and 
some of the essays became almost volumes. Among them 
were productions which he prized very highly. All this was 
over and above his extensive course of lectures. He was far 
from having a stereotyped plan; but besides undertaking 
new subjects of instruction in the close of his life, as we 
shall have occasion to say, he made frequent changes in his 
modus operandi to the last. 

It is worthy of note, that while he gave diligent 
attention to this part of his duties, he was in no sense an 
active controvertist. In private, his error, if he erred, was 
altogether in the opposite direction. When falsehood was 
read or heard by him, it was the tendency of his mind, from 
its strong logical interest, rather to yield himself to the con- 
sideration of adverse arguments, and to weigh them with a 
judgelike calmness, than to seek on the spot for weapons of 
refutation. His practical maxim was the audi alteram 
partem ; and those who were privy to his daily studies were 



336 



INTIMACY WITH PUPILS. 



astonished at the time which he bestowed on the most dan- 
gerous writers. And yet his own opinions were held with a 
firmness which in his mature years seemed to suffer not even 
a momentary shaking. The habits to which allusion has 
been made, tended beyond doubt to produce in him a 
peculiar reserve and impartiality in stating the opinions of 
adversaries; and in refuting them. 

There is one charm connected with the opening of a 
theological school, which belongs peculiarly to its infant 
state, and can never be fully regained in years of greater 
prosperity. This is the intimate association between teachers 
and scholars. As yet, there were no buildings ; the profes- 
sor's house was at once library, chapel, and auditorium. 
The handful of pious young men gathered around their pre- 
ceptor almost as members of his family ; going freely in and 
out, sitting at his board, joining in the domestic worship, 
and, in a sense, not merely learning of him but living with 
him. This continued to be the case for a number of years, 
for the Seminary began with three, and did not attain the 
number of thirty until the fifth year of its existence. In 
such a state of things, there is more freedom and frequency 
of intercourse, than when more than a hundred are collected, 
when it would absorb all the time and strength of the pro- 
fessor to bestow the same personal attentions. In later 
years, it is but just, however, to observe, Dr. Alexander gave 
as free access to his study as pupils ever enjoyed of a teacher. 
Few moments of the day passed without a knock at his 
door ; and as his apartment was but a few steps from 
the principal edifice, it was resorted to by the young men 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



337 



with the greatest familiarity, and on every sort of errand 
both temporal and spiritual. We may here add, that at no 
time of his life was he accustomed to deny himself to visit- 
ors ; acting, as it should seem, on the maxim which Payson 
adopted, — " the man that wants to see me, is the man I 
want to see/' But in these early years, the relation of pro- 
fessor and student was peculiarly intimate, as will be remem- 
bered by many now alive, who sought his advice in tho 
greatest emergencies of their spiritual life. 

Some extracts from a family letter of the period, will 
add interest to this time of transition. 

" October 10, 1812. 

" I was dismissed from my charge in Philadelphia, on 
the 22d of July. You may guess that I felt some regret at 
leaving a congregation in which I have reason to believe 
there are many of God's dear children, particularly among 
the poor. As in every congregation, however, there are some 
who are not of the right spirit, so also in this there were 
some men rather turbulent. Though we never had any con- 
tention in the Society, I could perceive there was fuel to 
cherish the flame if it should ever be kindled. The labours 
of a city minister are necessarily very great, where his charge 
are numerous ; and it is extremely difficult, with any exer- 
tion which can be made, to afford universal satisfaction. 
And upon the whole, a .city is not so favourable for religion, 
except among the poor and distressed. I have every reason 
to believe that my people were sufficiently attached to me, 
and parted with me reluctantly ; but most of them were 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



convinced that I was following the path of duty. It seems, 
however, that God had a controversy with that city, for since 
my removal Dr. Green has been elected President of this 
College, and has determined to come. Or He may intend to 
substitute men whose labours He will more abundantly 
oless. 

" On the 29th of July I removed my family to this place, 
where a house was provided for us, not very large or com- 
modious, but the best which could be obtained. The people 
here we found very kind and attentive, and the situation of 
the place remarkably pleasant, especially in summer. Every 
place however has its inconveniences and difficulties. Heaven 
is not to be expected in this world. External circumstances 
go but a little way towards making us happy. The relief 
which we receive in our afflictions and distresses has often 
more real pleasure in it than we experience in our great- 
est prosperity. Little things often disturb our peace as 
much as great, and we bear small adversities with less pa- 
tience than greater, because we do not seek c grace to help/ 
During the whole summer our family has through God's 
mercy enjoyed uninterrupted health. I am greatly pleased 
to learn that some of your children begin to fear the Lord, 
in the days of their youth. I hope you will not be disap- 
pointed in the fruit which these early blossoms promise. 
There can be no greater pleasure to serious parents than to 
see their offspring choosing wisdom's ways and 6 walking in 
the truth/ " — " You may suppose that I have abandoned 
preaching. Very true, it is no part of my office, so long as 
the school is in a place supplied with the Word ; but as I 



ATTENTION TO PREACHING. 



339 



have been so long accustomed to preach, it does not seem 
pleasant to be altogether silent, and therefore I preach every 
Sunday evening in my own house ; and as often as oppor- 
tunity offers I ride over to some one of the neighbouring 
congregations, and assist my brethren/' 

Adverting to the same topic, he writes January 27, 1813 : 
" It is a part of my duty to preach to my students, who are 
nine in number, but as I did not wish to interfere with the 
regular worship of the place, I instituted a meeting on 
Sunday evening at my own house. No persons attended 
but such as were invited, and when the winter commenced, 
very few could attend with comfort ; but in proportion to 
the difficulty of attending was the desire increased, both 
among the students and citizens. At length a large room 
was fitted up in one of the College buildings, and I was in- 
vited by the Faculty to preach in it. The place was very 
soon crowded, and all the principal families in the place and 
vicinity took the lead in attending. We were soon obliged 
to seek a larger place, which was also found insufficient to 
contain the people who came. Sometimes more than a 
hundred have been unable to get in. We have now removed 
to the Eefectory or Dining Eoom [the present Museum], a 
room which will hold several hundred people seated, and 
even this seems as if it would be scarcely sufficient. The 
attention of the people is uncommonly solemn and many ap- 
pear to be affected, but what the result will be, Grod only 
knows. Two particular facts have encouraged me to hope 
for some good issue. A young man who came here to study 
divinity, appeared soon after his arrival to fall under deep 



340 



SERMONS IN PRINCETON. 



convictions. He came to me and told me with many tears, 
that he was an unconverted man, and that he wished to 
withdraw. But I insisted on his remaining, and he has ever 
since been much exercised in mind. The other case was 
very unexpected to me. A daughter of . . . called on me 
the day before she left the place, to converse with me re- 
specting the concerns of her soul. She appeared to be deeply 
affected, and so far as I could judge manifested the temper 
of a true penitent. She regrets very much that she has not 
the opportunity of making a profession of her faith before 
leaving the country. This family has been uncommonly 
gay and thoughtless, and I suppose she never mentioned her 
case to any of them." 

These evening services are well remembered by many, as 
connected with their great spiritual delight and progress, if 
not with their conversion to God. Young men of different 
religious persuasions prized these evangelical instructions ; 
and it is not many weeks since we heard a bishop of the 
Protestant Episcopal church declare that this was the best 
preaching he ever heard. Dr. Alexander's discourses on 
these occasions were uniformly of the practical and experi- 
mental kind. They were extemporaneous and animated, 
and embodied all those qualities which made him eminently 
popular, especially among the common people, who preferred 
his free and often irresistible invitations, and the clear ringing 
of his lively and penetrative voice, to more staid and scholastic 
addresses which smell of the lamp and sacrifice religious to 
literary merit. He was sought after in private by great 
numbers who were in distress concerning their salvation, and 



MANNER OF LIFE. 



341 



was invited in various instances to labour in fields which the 
Lord was blessing by the effusion of his grace. 

" Two weeks ago/' he writes in the same letter, " I 
visited Elizabethtown, to see the work of the Lord which is 
going on in that place. Here are about a hundred persons 
under deep impressions, and the number is increasing every 
day. A place five miles beyond has also received another 
shower of divine influence. Some remarkable cases of 
awakening have occurred in both places. that the blessed 
influence may spread far and wide ! " 

It is greatly to be regretted that no letters can be recov- 
ered, entering into any detail of his views and feelings as to 
the great work of education which he had begun, or the 
studies which he was pursuing. Such correspondence, it 
is well known, he maintained somewhat largely with con- 
genial minds, especially with Doctors Kice, Speece, and 
Campbell of Kentucky ; but from the necessity of the case 
we must allow these years to be very much a blank. And 
even in regard to those which follow, one year succeeds 
another with a felicitous sameness which leaves little for the 
narrator. The same cares, the same labours, the same con- 
tentment. A beloved wife and four children, with an in- 
creasing circle of pupils, and a great number of visitors, made 
happy days in the humble, cheerful home. Death came in 
and bore away the youngest child, an only daughter. Dis- 
ease gave frequent cause of solicitude respecting the others, 
whose lives were nevertheless preserved. The employments 
of the study and the lecture-room were incessant and wear- 
ing, but they were enthusiastic. The compilation, collec- 



g42 THE WAR - 

tion, translation, revision and refutation, incident to the life 
of a young and ardent professor, went on with a diligence of 
which the fruits were extant for many years in piles of man- 
uscripts, some of which became lectures, others parts of 
published works, while all have long since, and perhaps in- 
tentionally, been committed to the flames. 

During the first few years there was a peculiar glow of 
delight in the mind of the professors, when small companies 
of alumni began to try their gifts as probationers, and leave 
the nest as the first fledged of the new institution. But 
greatly interesting as this was to both parties, it affords 
little for record, and most of the persons concerned have 
long since gone to their rest. In the years which remain, 
therefore, we cannot undertake to set down the quiet events 
in the way of annals. Their true history is in the General 
Catalogue which registers the names of successive classes. 

Externally, the period of which we write was troublous, 
for the war with Great Britain was in progress. Except, 
however, that general sympathy which every good man must 
have with the interests of his country, Dr. Alexander was as 
little disturbed as any man in the land. From the site of 
Princeton, the village was again and again traversed by 
bodies of troops, both going to the field of hostilities and 
returning. The whole population was much agitated by 
the controversies leading to the war, and by the progress of 
the conflict. Privately, he lamented the policy which in- 
volved us in these troubles ; but he never took any active 
part in politics, never preached a political sermon in his life, 
and indeed seldom voted at an election. In common with 



ACCESSION OF DR. MILLER. 



343 



Christians throughout the Union, he deplored the spiritual 
evils consequent on the war ; and it was too evident that for 
many years there had not been a time of so general decay in 
religious zeal and activity. The even tenor of his studious 
life was nevertheless pursued, and the gentle stimulus of 
new employments added to his happiness. 

But the event most worthy of being noted in this con- 
nection was the accession of a colleague. Hitherto, as we 
have seen, he had conducted his little band of pupils 
through all the parts of their preparation. The Keverend 
Samuel Miller, D. D., of New- York, was elected to the chair 
of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government, by the 
General Assembly of 1813 ; but in consequence of a violent 
illness he did not assume his duties until the month of De- 
cember, in that year. Dr. Miller brought with him a high 
reputation as a preacher, an author, and a Christian gentle- 
man. He was about three years older than his colleague, 
being accordingly in his prime of mental and bodily vigour. 
His name was widely known from his " Eetrospect of the 
Eighteenth Century/' and more recently from his defence of 
presbytery against the attacks of Doctors Hobart and Bow- 
den. For many years he had maintained his post with 
honour and esteem, in the First Presbyterian Church of 
New- York, where he succeeded the venerable Dr. Eodgers, 
after having been his colleague. 

This seems to be the first place offered in which to speak 
of the mutual relations of the two professors ; a subject to 
which we shall revert. For six and thirty years they laboured 
side by side and were in almost daily communication, These 



344 



THE TWO PROFESSORS. 



were circumstances in which, if any where, one might expect 
sinister and unkindly attributes to be drawn forth. In many 
particulars they were dissimilar ; indeed two men of genuine 
piety could scarcely be found more unlike. Dr. Miller came 
from the training of city life, and from an eminently polished 
and literary circle. Of fine person and courtly manners, he 
set a high value on all that makes society dignified and at- 
tractive. He was pre-eminently a man of system and method, 
governing himself, even in the minutest particulars, by exact 
rule. His daily exercise was measured to the moment ; and 
for half a century he wrote standing. He was a gentleman 
of the old school, though as easy as he was noble in his 
bearing ; full of conversation, brilliant in company, rich in 
anecdote, and universally admired. As a preacher, he was 
clear without brilliancy, accustomed to laborious and critical 
preparation, relying little on the excitement of the occasion, 
but rapid with his pen, and gifted with a tenacious memory 
and a strong sonorous voice ; always instructive, always calm, 
always accurate. 

His colleague had received a lasting impress, in manners 
and labours, from a very different class of influences. The 
inward principle of delicacy and refinement, the soul of true 
politeness, we think we may assert, was within him in high 
measure. Perhaps no man ever more respected the feelings 
of others. But he was not a man of rules. Eminent natu- 
ral simplicity was his characteristic. If this led him to be 
careless or abrupt, at any time, he cared not for the inele- 
gance, even when he grieved over any occasional offence. 
His studies and his way of life were singularly free from all 



DIFFERENCES. 



345 



constraint and plan. Though a perpetual reader, he seemed 
always to read for entertainment, rather than by constraint 
A friend once found him deeply engaged in Jack's old wort 
on Conic Sections ; and in the earlier part of his life he 
perused many volumes on physical philosophy. His rest was 
in continual change of mental pursuit. Never did he seem 
more at a loss than when called upon to lay down regulations 
for the hours, the employments or the behaviour of others. 
Perfect liberty, as to time, pursuits, and even bodily move- 
ments, was almost his passion. Scrupulously clean in his 
person, he never seemed to advert to the fashion of his dress. 
Animated even to vehemence in conversation on topics which 
aroused him, he often had his fits of silence. While his 
door was open to every visitant, and his kind counsel was 
freely given, he certainly omitted many a received form, 
and would occasionally, during an inordinate visitation, ab- 
stract his eye and his attention, and hum a tune to himself. 
In the pulpit, he was most himself when he was most truly 
extemporaneous ; which perhaps was in the mind of the 
learned Chief Justice Kirkpatrick, when he said, with a jo- 
cose eulogy, a Dr. Alexander is the prince of Methodist 
preachers/' 

With such marked differences, it is certainly no slight 
matter to record, that during a lifetime of common service, 
these two men never had an alienation, or the difference of 
an hour. In opinion they frequently diverged ; yet mutual 
respect and affection were never violated, but rather increased 
with every year of their lives. Placed in circumstances 
which might have engendered rivalry, they appeared to re- 



346 HARMONY. 

joice in each others gifts and success. From the beginning 
of their acquaintanceship, Dr. Miller always resorted to 
his younger colleague as his wisest adviser He admired his 
learning, testified the profoundest reverence for his judg- 
ment and piety, coveted his company, and unfeignedly de- 
lighted in his ministrations. On the other hand, Dr. Alex- 
ander regarded his friend and brother with the heartiest 
affection. Again and again has he been heard to say, that 
for the charitable use of his means, for adherence to his rules 
of self control, and especially for exemption from all traces 
of vanity and of envy, Dr. Miller surpassed all men he had 
ever known. He was fond of saying, that after more than 
thirty years proximity, he had never detected in his colleague 
the slightest appearance of jealousy. This was the more 
remarkable, as it is well known that with all his varied ex- 
cellencies, Dr. Miller as a preacher was less followed by 
popular admiration than his friend. 

Though we say it by anticipation, it is seasonable to add, 
that as years rolled on, and old age arrived, the concord and 
affection of these servants of Christ presented a beautiful and 
edifying spectacle. They conversed together and prayed 
together ; and as their hoary heads appeared, with a punc- 
tuality belonging to both, in the devotional and other more 
public services of the Seminary, the moral influence of the 
sight upon their numerous and respectful pupils was happy 
and indelible. 

After the arrival of Dr Miller, both professors were 
actively engaged in preaching the Gospel, not only in Prince- 
ton, but in the neighbouring congregations, and even in the 



PREACHING. 



347 



two great cities, where their labours were constantly in re- 
quest. It is impossible to determine which of them most 
delighted in the actual labours of the pulpit. They never 
spoke of these as a burden, but eagerly welcomed them as 
a satisfaction. Before the erection of buildings for the Sem- 
inary, there was no separate worship on the Lord's Day, for 
the students. The professors however preached frequently, 
and in some years in stated rotation with others, in the 
village church, and the chapel of the college ; the control of 
the latter service being in the hands of their friend President 
G-reen. 

At an early period in the history of the institution, a 
meeting was established on the afternoon of the Sabbath, for 
the spiritual edification of the young men, and was main- 
tained during the whole life of these professors ; it will be 
remembered by hundreds as the Conference, and shall be 
more fully noticed. The colloquial addresses which they 
delivered here would form a system of experimental the- 
ology, if they could be recovered. 



CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 



1813—1817. 

FIRST YEABS OF PEOFESSOBSHIP — HEALTH — THEOLOGICAL STUDIES — NUM- 
BERS — FISCAL CAEES — BETTY AL UN COLLEGE — PREACHING SPIBITUA1 

COUNSELS — YIEGLNIA — DE. HOGE — DOALESTIC HABITS. 

TN the early years of his life as a professor, Dr. Alexander 
Mr began to endure trials in regard to health, which were 
destined to overhang him' during the whole niiddle period of 
his activity, Princeton, a place proverbially healthful, so as 
to deserve Witherspoon's appellation, as the Montpellier of 
America, is nevertheless like that salubrious town of France 
exposed to the sweep of angry winds, especially about the 
breaking up of winter. To this influence, his delicately 
sensitive temperament was peculiarly open. The east winds 
of March and April harrowed his constitution, and produced 
a train of most distressing symptoms, chilliness, nervous 
perturbation and dyspepsy. At this time began that morbid 
wakefulness, which kept him often whole nights without 
refreshment. He became thin and haggard, and except in 
some short intervals this was his condition for many years. It 
was however more a general malaise than a serious disability, 

25 



PRIVATE TOILS. 



349 



by which he was harassed, and he seldom made these ail- 
ments a reason for abstaining from duty, either at home or 
abroad. Indeed he rather sought a solace in more intense 
occupation of mind, which in turn increased and perpetuated 
the evil. His southern friends began to ponder on these 
appearances. " I have ever believed/' wrote the Rev. John 
H. Kice, " that your present situation is better adapted to 
your habits of feeling and of previous study, than any other 
in the Presbyterian Church ; and have regarded you as 
more usefully employed than any other man in our society. 
Nothing could make me wish a removal, selfish as I am, but 
a regard for your health — may I not add your life. I do not 
believe that the cliruate suits you. If, however, you could 
be as usefully placed any where to the South, I should think 
it your duty to remove ; or if it were certain that you can- 
not for want of health discharge or sustain the duties of your 
office, I should think that another habitation ought to be 
sought. What may be the result of certain schemes which 
I now have in view, I cannot tell, and therefore I will not 
communicate them."* 

This was the time of his arduous labour and rapid accu- 
mulation. With a restless activity he pushed his inquiries 
far beyond the field of his prescribed course, which was suf- 
ficiently extensive. From this time forward he lost no 
opportunity of procuring every accessible volume of Latin 
theology, belonging to the German, French, Dutch and 
Helvetic schools ; of these an unusual store may be seen on 

* Rev. John H. Rice to Dr. Alexander, May 4, 1817. 



350 



BIBLICAL STUDIES. 



the shelves of the Seminary collection.* Nor did he confine 
himself to dogmatic or polemic works, but read largely in 
the departments of Criticism and Hermeneutics. During all 
his life he manifested a strong turn for languages, which was 
now indulged in connection with his exegetical studies and 
instructions. His careful application to the Hebrew and 
Greek texts was continued as long as he lived. He assaulted 
the Arabic, but as he said with little proficiency. In Syriac 
he made further advances ; and we remember the lessons in 
this language which he gave to a student of 1815, afterwards 
widely known as the Eeverend Thomas Charlton Henry, 
D. D., of Charleston. His children were enlisted in the 
work of copying, and we have a manuscript on Hebrew Ar- 
chaeology, in the yet unformed hand of one of his sons. The 
reigning controversies of the day awakened his lively atten- 
tion, and he repeatedly dipped into the Greek and Roman 
classics, and even into works on mathematical and physical 
science. It was characteristic of his habits to seek mental 
relaxation in a change of grave studies, rather than in what 
is denominated light reading, and for many years nothing 

* It is with a pensive interest that the writer remembers having noted at 
Leyden, for the entertainment of his father, the series of portraits, executed 
in the best Dutch style, of those worthies, in learning and science as well as 
religion, whose names he had so often heard at home ; for instance, of Joseph 
Scaliger, Salmasius, Heinsius, Boerhaave, Wesselius, Cocceius, Wittichius, 
Hoornbeeck, Yan Til, three of the family of Schultens, Ruhnkenius, Haver- 
camp, Wyttenbach, Wynpersse, Yan Yoorst, Perizonius, Witsius, Hemster- 
huis, De Moor, and Schultingius ; also of Yorstius, and Arminius and Episco- 
pius, side by side ; information which, alas ! never came to the ear for which 
it was intended. 



INCREASED NUMBERS. 



351 



was more common than to find his evening hours spent over 
some ponderous tome of the seventeenth century. His pen 
was constantly in activity, and we have been astonished at 
the extent to which he made compilations and digests from 
standard works in other languages. By slow degrees his 
body of lectures on divinity was growing into shape ; while, 
as has been said, he preferred on many accounts to express 
his thoughts in the lecture-room in the unfettered diction of 
the moment. Neither now nor at any later period was he 
much addicted to modern fiction or modern poetry. Without 
being a politician he was always a reader on politics, thor- 
oughly acquainted with all questions of American states- 
manship, and all his life long a serious and diligent student 
of the best journals ; for, like Dr. Arnold, he considered "a 
newspaper one of the most painful and solemn studies in the 
world, if it be read thoughtfully." In a word, every thing 
showed the vigour and spring of a manly spirit, making 
trial of its best and as yet unwasted energies. 

The number of students during these years was con- 
stantly on the increase. The matriculations were in 1812, 
nine ; in 1813, sixteen ; in 1814, fifteen ; in 1815, twenty- 
two ; in 1816, twenty-six ; and in 1817, twenty-three. 
Among these were some who are living as ornaments of our 
own and other churches, including two bishops of the Prot- 
estant Episcopal Church, in Virginia and Ohio. " The true 
heraldry of the college," says Chalmers, " is her sons/' The 
Princeton Seminary has no reason to be ashamed of her 
escutcheon. Among those who still survive, it is a pleasing 
duty to name, as falling within this period, the Kev. Henry R, 



352 CHARITABLE FUNDS. 

Weed, D. D., of Wheeling, and the Rev. William Blain, of 
Hudson Presbytery, two of the first three alumni ; Professor 
Hooper, of the Baptist Church ; the Eev. John Barnard, of 
New- York ; the Eev. Dr. Howe, of the Reformed Dutch 
Church ; the Eev. Dr. Swift, of Pittsburgh ; the Eev. Dr. 
Biggs, of Cincinnati ; the Eev. Doctors Henry, Snodgrass, 
Chester, Hodge, Sprague and Magie, and Bishops Johns and 
Mcllvaine. But nearly thirty from these six classes are no 
more on earth. President Chamberlain, of Oakland College, 
belongs to this number, a man of talents and energy, who 
came to a tragical end. Professor Graham, of the Union The- 
ological Seminary in Virginia, died almost at the same time 
with his venerated preceptor. Larned, a prodigy of early elo- 
quence, whose name is often mentioned with those of White- 
field and Summerfield, shone brightly for a few years, and 
then closed his career, in New Orleans. Nevins, of Baltimore, 
will never be forgotten by any who esteem childlike piety, 
united to genius, wit, and oratorical impression. Newbold, of 
1816, was the first of a long catalogue, who devoted them- 
selves to foreign missions ; he was cut down while meditating 
a life of hard service on the frontiers of Eussia and Tartary. 

With these, and with all his students, especially while 
their number was small, Dr. Alexander maintained the most 
intimate relations. They had constant access to his fireside 
and his study ; and were aided by him in their pursuits, and 
encouraged to propound difficulties and scruples for his reso- 
lution. While as yet there was no church-scheme for the 
education of young ministers, a certain number of the stu 
dents were sustained by the voluntary contributions of 



LIBRARY. 



353 



churches and individuals ; and the sums for this purpose to 
a large extent passed through his hands. Having assumed 
this labour when he was the only professor, he continued it 
to the close of his life. As the numbers increased, and as 
the sums came in irregularly as to time and unequally 
as to amount, the administration of these funds became 
embarrassing, and but for habits of the most rigorous exact- 
ness in accounts would have been onerous in the extreme. 
At a later period the founding of scholarships, and the 
digested plans of the Assembly's Board of Education, placed 
this department of labour on a surer basis. But the whole 
affair brought the professor into a close and often tender 
relation to deserving youth, who confided their necessities 
to him, and never failed to find in him a gentle and sym- 
pathizing friend. 

In this connection may be noticed his endeavours to 
gather a library for the institution. At first, the few cart- 
loads of old, second-hand, often odd volumes, raked together 
from studies and garrets, scarcely deserved the name of a 
library. We well remember when the whole collection was 
contained in the professor's study. The gift of Walton's 
Polyglott, by the Bev. Dr. Green, was the first token of any 
thing like a literary apparatus. In later days the munifi- 
cence of Mr. Lenox, Dr. Sprague, Mr. Agnew and the Messrs. 
Stuarts, has caused a happy change ; but it is still to be 
lamented that the churches at large are supine upon this 
important subject. Public libraries will generally be the 
"exponent of the degree of scientific and literary advance- 
ment in a Seminary. The liberality of donors should be 



354 



SERMONS. 



invited to this object. But the number is small of those 
who estimate the necessity ; and zeal for great libraries 
always infers a high measure of literary cultivation. In re- 
gard to this, we have become accustomed to hear the most 
narrow and grovelling opinions, from the lips even of clergy- 
men and so-called scholars ; as if the only intent of a library 
was to furnish pabulum for the undergraduates. For almost 
forty years Dr. Alexander was himself the librarian, and he 
never relaxed his exertions to make the collection more 
worthy of the place it occupied. 

At this time, it must be remembered, no buildings had 
been erected for the use of the Seminary. When the number 
of students became too great to be accommodated in the 
houses of the professors, they resorted to the public rooms of 
the College, which, as well as the library of that institution, 
were hospitably thrown open for their use. During a part 
of the time, also, the students of the two seminaries, and 
the village congregation worshipped together in the old col- 
lege chapel, which is now a gallery of paintings ; this was 
when the Princeton church had been consumed by fire. In 
this place Dr. Alexander delivered many impressive dis- 
courses, which are remembered by persons now living. At 
one time he received a message from Dr. Chalmers, enjoining 
it upon him to regard his professorial work as a business suf- 
ficient for the powers of any one man, and not to wear out 
his strength with preaching ; but such was the demand for 
his pulpit labours, that he was as little able to abide by this 
rule, as was Chalmers himself, when afterwards he assumed 
the chair of instruction. 



REVIVAL IN COLLEGE. 



355 



About the beginning of the year 1815, there was a 
general religious awakening in the College of New Jersey. 
" The divine influence " — we use the language of President 
Green — " seemed to descend like the silent dew of heaven ; 
and in about four weeks, there were few individuals in the 
college edifice who were not deeply impressed with a sense of 
the importance of spiritual and eternal things. There was 
scarcely a room — perhaps not one — which was not a place of 
earnest secret devotion ! " More than forty students gave 
favourable evidence of conversion. Among these were a 
number who afterwards became members of the theological 
institution, and some who rose to eminence in the ministry. 
Such an event could not but extend its marked influence to 
the Seminary. The students of divinity were much engaged 
in labours and prayer among the youth of the college, and a 
corresponding solemnity and tenderness were spread over 
both bodies. Dr. Alexander and his colleague were largely 
engaged in rendering aid to Dr. Green, by repeated ser- 
mons and exhortations, and still more by private counsels, to 
such as were affected with their earliest spiritual distresses 
and joys. It was a period never to be forgotten by those 
who witnessed its remarkable impressions and transforma* 
tions. Though a still greater revival had occurred in the 
preceding century, there has been none so extensively affect- 
ing the college in any later year. After this, as from time 
to time the churches of New Jersey and the bordering states 
were visited with similar refreshings, the seminary professors 
were accustomed with gladness to give permission to their 
students, to visit these scenes of grace, for the increase of 



356 



SPIRITUAL COUNSELS. 



their experimental knowledge, as well as for the exercise of 
their gifts. They also made preaching excursions them- 
selves, as far as their home labours allowed ; and at such 
times, and more frequently at sacramental gatherings, Dr. 
Alexander was wont to break forth in warm and melting 
harangues, not inferior to the bursting effusions of his youth. 
For notwithstanding the increasing delicacy of his health, 
he could endure an extraordinary amount of labour and ex- 
citement ; and he certainly never seemed so happy or so 
much raised above himself, as when amidst listening crowds 
he was proclaiming the boundless riches of salvation. 

It was during this lapse of years that he began to be 
widely known as a spiritual adviser, and to be consulted by 
distressed minds, on cases of conscience and other spiritual 
griefs. Without ever seeking this — for he always seemed to 
assume the place of an adviser with reluctance — he continued 
all his life to exercise great influence, perhaps his chief in- 
fluence, in this quiet department of Christian service. For 
such work he was eminently fitted by his singular caution 
and wisdom, his personal trials of heart, his deep acquaint- 
ance with the inward workings of grace, his sensibility and 
tenderness in regard to the afflicted, and his characteristic 
secresy and silence about all that was confided to him. Cases 
of this sort were constantly arising among his own pupils, 
and those who had lately been such. As he advanced in 
life, these confidential applications, both in person and by 
letter, were surprisingly increased, until the labour becamt 
almost burdensome. But it was undoubtedly by this vary 
means, noiseless and unobtrusive as it was, rather than by 



MODES OF INFLUENCE. 



357 



formal teaching, by sermons, or by authorship, that he built 
up that character and attained that influence, which were 
so universally recognised in the church. He lives now, in 
the memory of great numbers, especially of the clergy, as 
eminently a wise counsellor and a spiritual guide. In regard- 
to such communications, his reticency was almost extreme, 
and of his large correspondence on such topics, he committed 
every vestige to the flames. 

While we are alluding to his influence in the Presbyterian 
Church, some other particulars merit a passing notice. It 
was not yet by written works, for his career of publication 
had not yet commenced. The moulding power which he 
was already beginning to wield, and which has never been 
denied even by those who viewed it with dissatisfaction, 
operated in more silent ways ; by the truth communicated 
to his successive classes, and the impressions left on their 
character ; by a large and valuable correspondence, the very 
delicacy of which has prevented its appearance more largely 
in these pages ; by ministerial visits, and in his more active 
years by journeys : by the weight of opinion and argu- 
ment in church-courts, and by the perpetual force of his 
evangelical preaching, in which he never relaxed till the very 
end. 

The year 1817 brought to him a singular gratification, in 
a visit from his venerated friend, the Rev. Moses Hoge, D. D. 
The life of Dr. Hoge belongs so much to the history of the 
Southern Church, that we feel justified in adding to what has 
already been said some particulars from another manuscript. 
u Moses Hoge was the son of a very intelligent, orthodox and 



358 



VISIT OF DR. HOGE. 



pious farmer, who spent the early part of his life in Pennsylva- 
nia, within the bounds of the Philadelphia Presbytery. With 
this aged man the writer, when very young, was providentially 
led into an acquaintance. Travelling in 1791, he had the 
misfortune to have his horse badly foundered, and was left by 
his company at the house of Mr. Solomon Hoge, in Frederick 
County, Virginia, with whom the old gentleman then lived 
at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Nearly the whole 
of several days was spent in listening to Mr. Hoge's explana- 
tion of his views on a number of points in theology ; and 
the writer can declare that he never in any equal time, as he 
now thinks, derived so much light as from this aged farmer. 
He told me, that when grown to manhood he deliberately 
and seriously sat down and went through the Westminster 
Confession of Faith, to see whether the doctrines were 
founded in Scripture ; and after a careful examination of 
this formulary, he was able to adopt the whole, as indeed the 
truths taught in the Word of God. He was often present 
at the meetings of the Philadelphia Presbytery. His judg- 
ment in regard to most of the members was not very 
favourable ; the individual whom he valued most was a Mr. 
Wilson, whom he said the others were continually persecu- 
ting on some account or other. The Presbyterian Church 
was that in which Mr. Hoge had been born, baptized and 
educated, and with which he first joined in communion ; and 
in this he continued, until the Synod passed the act called 
the c Adopting Act/ which indulged such persons as were 
scrupulous in regard to certain articles to express their ex- 
ceptions to the Presbytery, who were permitted to license and 



DR. HOGE. 



359 



ordain, if they judged the matter not to be of essential im- 
portance. When this act was passed, it gave great dissatis- 
faction, and some, the number of whom cannot be deter- 
mined, left the Presbyterian Church, and joined the Seceders, 
who were then beginning to raise their standard. Among 
these was Mr. Hoge. This fact, so far as my recollection 
serves me, was not communicated to me by the old gentle- 
man, but by his son the Eev. Dr. Hoge. And I am certain 
that when the communication was made, I had never heard 
of such an Act, nor could ever obtain sight of it until the 
last minutes of the Old Synod were published a few years 
since. 

"Moses Hoge was considerably advanced in manhood 
when he commenced the study of the Latin language ; but 
by diligence and assiduous application he made up for the 
loss of early instruction. Nor had his mind previously been 
left uncultivated. Being of a sedate and studious turn he 
read many books, by which his understanding was strength- 
ened and enriched with various knowledge. It has often 
happened, as we have seen in the case of Mr. G-raham him- 
self, that a late commencement of classical studies does not 
result in an imperfect or superficial scholarship. He became 
an accurate and profound scholar, and acquired a perfection 
of mental discipline to which very few attain. Having laid 
a good foundation in Latin and Greek, he resorted to the 
academy of Mr. Graham, where he pursued his studies with 
indefatigable industry, and exhibited that purity, meekness 
and devotedness of Christian character, which conciliated 
the esteem of all who knew him. Here, also, under Mr. 



360 



DR. HOGE. 



Graham's direction, lie studied divinity, and was in due time 
licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of Hanover ; 
then the only one in Virginia. 

"Although Mr. Hoge's talents were of the first order, 
and his knowledge was accurate and extensive, he had a poor 
delivery. His voice was husky and irregular in its intona- 
tions, and the muscles of his face were subject to a peculiar 
and visible excitement while he was speaking. When, there- 
fore, he obtained licensure, he did not seek any conspicuous 
situation. He went and spent some time under the roof of 
the Rev. Dr. Waddel, then the most celebrated pulpit orator 
in Virginia, What benefit he derived from intercourse with 
this great and good man is not known, but it is certain that 
he ever afterwards entertained for him the highest veneration 
and the greatest admiration of his talents. Indeed, Dr. 
Waddel excelled in private conversation as much as in the 
pulpit, and was always ready to disclose his own views and 
sentiments to young students and ministers with the utmost 
freedom. 

{: Wishing to be useful in conveying the precious message 
of the Gospel to the destitute, Mr. Hoge had his attention 
directed to a part of the country on the South Branch of the 
Potomac, where was a tract of very fertile land, and where a 
number of Presbyterian families had settled, but where no 
minister of the Gospel had ever resided. Here he laboured 
assiduously for several years, in the study and in the pulpit. 
It was his habit to write every sermon and commit it to 
memory. At first he cultivated an elegant and rather 
flowery style ; but finding that he thus shot over the heads 



DR. HOGE. 



361 



, of his people, some of whom were of German descent, and 
imperfectly acquainted with the English language, he 
changed his manner of preaching so as to accommodate him- 
self to the capacity of his hearers. In this sequestered 

. situation, Mr. Hoge was deprived of all literary and refined 
society, and was very far removed from his brethren in the 
ministry, and from the meetings of the Presbytery, which he 
nevertheless felt it to be his duty to attend. An opening [for 
removal] occurred at Shepherdstown, in Berkeley County, 
by the dismission of the Eev. John McKnight to Pennsylva- 
nia. The congregation at Shepherdstown was small, but 
intelligent and highly respectable. He had, however, to 
come after a man much admired for pulpit eloquence. Mr. 
McKnight composed his sermons with great care, and after 
committing them to memory, delivered them in a very pleas- 
ing and animated manner. As to mere elocution, Mr. Hoge 
fell immeasurably behind his predecessor ; but he possessed 
qualities which in the esteem of judicious men more than 
compensated for his want of eloquence. He had a pure and 
ardent spirit of piety, and always fed his flock with sound 
evangelical truth, thoroughly digested and prepared before it 
was exhibited. He had also an invaluable habit of watching 
for opportunities to be useful. Into whatsoever company he 
came, he always aimed to say something which he hoped 
would be useful. Shepherdstown was at that time under 
the care of the Carlisle Presbytery, but Mr. Hoge was a 
member of the Lexington Presbytery. He received, there • 
fore, from the former body, a letter inquiring by what 
authority he occupied a vacant congregation under theii 



362 



DK. HOGE. 



care, without their permission. Mr. Hoge wrote back a 
letter replete with Christian feeling and good sense, and with 
some sprinkling of wit. He continued, however, in connec- 
tion with the Lexington Presbytery, to which were annexed, 
some time after, all the churches in the Valley south of the 
Potomac. 

"Mr. Hoge remained in this place until the year 1807, 
when he received an invitation to become president of Hamp- 
den Sidney College, where he spent the remainder of his 
days. Soon after his removal to that place the germ of the 
theological school was formed, and he was appointed profes- 
sor of theology by the Hanover Presbytery ; and a number 
of young men had the privilege of receiving his instructions 
in theology. This was the origin of the Union Theological 
Seminary, which has since risen to importance, chiefly by 
the unwearied exertions of the Kev. John H. Eice, D. D. 

"In the year 1810, Mr. Hoge was honoured with the 
degree of Doctor of Divinity by the College of New Jersey. 
On account of his extreme modesty in regard to his own 
attainments, this was quite unexpected, but it has seldom 
fallen on one who more truly deserved it. His success in con- 
ducting the college was equal to any reasonable expectations. 
The institution being almost entirely without funds, and 
having fallen into much irregularity as to the usual order 
of classes, gave some difficulties to one who had himself 
never enjoyed the privilege of going regularly through a 
college course. 

" As a preacher, Dr. Hoge was much admired by spiritual 
and judicious persons. Men who had never been accustomed 



PREACHING OF DR. HOGE, 



36:? 



to Presbyterian preaching, attended with delight on his 
ministry. Among these was the late eloquent out eccentric 
John Eandolph ; who about this time had come under 
serious impressions of religion. Mr. Randolph courted the 
acquaintance of Dr. Hoge, and entered freely into conversa- 
tion with him. During this period of his life, Dr. Hoge 
preached without writing his sermons, and commonly without 
much previous study ; but he pursued trains of thought 
which had become familiar to him. The charm of his preach- 
ing was the strong genuine feeling by which he appeared to 
be actuated in all that he said ; giving himself up to such 
sentiments as at the moment rose in his mind ; and his pious 
emotions during utterance were often exceedingly strong. 
But he was never hurried by his feelings into any thing like 
rant or extravagance. He never lost the balance of his 
mind, but preserved that sobriety and solemnity which are 
always wanting where extraordinary excitement takes place. 
He was fond of casuistical preaching, aiming by nice dis- 
criminating marks to remove the perplexities and doubts 
which he found to be common among the good people of the 
region where he now laboured. Perhaps he carried these 
searching disquisitions too far, and multiplied the evidences 
of sincerity too much. All who were acquainted with Dr. 
Hoge admitted that they had never known a man whose 
whole character both as a Christian and a minister was more 
unexceptionable and consistent. He seemed habitually to 
retain on his mind a sense of the Divine presence, and was 
ever ready to engage in the most spiritual conversation. He 
was condescending and patient in dealing with the most 



364 



VISIT OF DK. HOGE. 



ignorant who wished for instruction, and seldom lost an 
opportunity of addressing a word of instruction or exhortation 
to any servant who might be waiting on him. He seldom 
met with ill treatment from any, and never indulged in 
angry or resentful feelings. In regard to the things of this 
world, I never knew a man more indifferent. Indeed he did 
not suffer his mind to be harassed with cares of this kind. 
During a large part of his life his salary was very small, but 
he was contented in every condition, and trusted in Provi- 
dence amidst all circumstances. He might indeed have turned 
his attention to farming, as was the practice of most of his 
brethren in Virginia. But he had set out with the determi- 
nation to devote his whole time to the work of the ministry, 
trusting Providence for a support ; and he advised all young 
clergymen who consulted him, to pursue the same course. 
He however never censured such as did otherwise. While 
president, he suffered no young man who was seeking the 
ministry to go away for want of support. To all pious youth 
his purse and his house were open, and he treated them with 
all the kindness of a father and all the familiarity of a friend 
or a brother. His influence on young men was exceedingly 
salutary. When he found them self-confident and dogmati- 
cal, he would not attempt to repress this disposition in any 
other way than by free discussion, and by showing them 
difficulties in their own theories, which probably had never 
occurred to them. 

" Though his health had been declining for some time, Dr. 
Hoge was induced, in the year 1820, to undertake a journey 
to the north. He had a particular desire to meet once in 

26 



VISIT OF DR. HOGE. 



365 



Lis life with the American Bible Society, for which insti- 
tution he had a high regard. As he could also attend the 
General Assembly as a commissioner, and visit friends that 
were dear to him at Princeton, he determined to venture, 
weak as he was ; and at first it seemed as if his health would 
be benefited by the journey. He attended the anniversaries 
at New- York in the beginning of May, and then on his 
return stopped at Princeton, where he spent several days in 
cheerful and useful conversation with an old friend. He 
seemed to take a deep interest in the place and its important 
institutions, and especially felt himself to be on hallowed 
ground, when he reflected that the ashes of Burr, Edwards, 
Davies, Witherspoon and Smith were deposited in the ceme- 
tery. It was an object of special desire with him to visit the 
tombs of these eminent men, to whom the Presbyterian 
Church is so much indebted. But soon after his arrival in 
Princeton, there came on a cold eastern rain which continued 
for several days. He went out in this inclement time, and 
stood long enough to read all the Latin epitaphs, some of 
which are long. This imprudence, if it may be so called, 
was the occasion of his death. 

" The writer accompanied him to Philadelphia, and the 
first night was spent in Trenton, where, at the earnest request 
of several persons, Dr. Hoge preached in the church by 
candle-light. Very little opportunity was offered for giving 
notice, except by the ringing of the church-bell. The ser- 
mon was on Eomans x. 9 ; and I see that a discourse on 
that text has been published from his manuscripts ; no 
doubt the same in substance which he then preached. Soon 



366 RELATIONS TO VIRGINIA. 

after arriving in Philadelphia he was seized with a typhus 
fever, from an attack of which he had recovered but a short 
time before leaving home. His illness continued several 
weeks, so that there was opportunity to send for his wife 
and his son Thomas, a physician, both of whom arrived before 
his decease. There was nothing remarkable in the exercises 
of his mind, but a calm submission to the will of his heavenly 
Father, and a kind and grateful feeling to all around him. 
His disease was attended with much languor and debility, 
which could not but affect his spirits, and prevented that 
cheerful animation which was common in health." * 

It has often been observed with justice, that though Dr. 
Alexander had removed from his native state, he never lost 
influence there. Until his last breath, he was intensely a 
Virginian ; and nothing more kindled his restless eye, or 
animated his nervously mobile frame, or called out his col- 
loquial fires, than any occasion for vindicating the honour of 
the "old colony and dominion/' as the ancient writs have it. 
In return, his opinions continued to have much weight in the 
Virginia churches. More than once they sought to win him 
back to their bosom. In numerous instances, of which the 
precise dates are unfortunately lost to us, he made visits to 
this beloved region, preaching everywhere, renewing the 
friendships of his youth, mingling with the immense gather- 
ings, who, according to the custom of the land, met or 
followed him at sacraments, presbyteries and synods, and 
thus keeping up the connection to which he owed so much of 
his active usefulness. It needs scarcely be said to those who 

* MS. Life of the Rev. William Graham. 



INVITATION TO VIRGINIA. 



knew him, that as it regards his judgments, feelings, and 
policy, he was uniformly reckoned, in every good sense, a 
Southern rather than a Northern man. More especially in 
his abhorrence of extreme and fanatical abolitionism, he never 
bated a jot ; having constantly and firmly predicted its de- 
gradation into infidelity, which has now become patent to 
the world. 

For evidence of the strong hold which he continued to 
have upon his friends in Virginia, we need only advert to 
some transactions which are brought to light by his corres- 
pondence, though never made the subject of his conversa- 
tion. In 1820, he was again elected President of Hampden 
Sidney College. The congregation of Cumberland simultane- 
ously tendered to him a call to become their pastor, with the 
understanding that he was also to preach at the College 
church and at Briery. Immediately after this, the Synod 
of Virginia chose him their professor of Theology. These 
offers he declined.* 

A glance at his domestic habits during this period will 
not be here out of place ; and what is to be said may be 
taken as applicable, with certain obvious modifications, to a 
number of preceding and following years. He was now 
between forty and fifty, slender in person, clear in complex- 
ion, with a slight silvering of his abundant brown hair. Hi? 
body was open to sudden impulses, seldom long at rest, an^ 
prone to motions and gestures which were highly animates 
and expressive, rather than graceful. Like most new-comers 
from a city, he for a time devoted himself to horticulture, 



* Letter of Col. Samuel Venable, October 28, 1820. 



368 



DOMESTIC HABITS. 



but it never gained his heart, and he pursued it less 
than even his respected colleague, who likewise fell off in his 
zeal. He was always an early riser, and the older inhabit- 
ants of Princeton bear in mind his frequent long walks with 
his three elder sons, who were then little boys. He long 
retained his youthful fondness for a horse, and indulged 
moderately in riding and driving. Sometimes visiting the 
sea-side, he used to vaunt that he could swim as boldly as 
when he was a child. His delight was in his family. After 
being deeply absorbed in study or teaching, he would come 
in, full of animation and ready to relax at the fireside. It 
was always his custom — a most delightful one for all about 
him — to pour out the fulness of his thoughts upon all that 
interested him, at the table and in the domestic group. 
Coming from his newspaper, his book, his class, from visits, 
church or journey, he gave forth a perpetual and vivacious 
flow of information. Nothing had escaped his eye, and 
nothing even of details seemed to be withheld in his narra- 
tive, yet without tedium or repetition. These daily conver- 
sations were the chief entertainment of his life, as they are 
the most delightful recollections of his household. Through 
his whole life his house was much frequented by guests, but 
at this period, though his quarters were never so strait, he 
was most visited from abroad. Giving a hearty welcome, 
and most elated when his table was fullest, he gave himself 
Little care as to display or fashion. Many who may read these 
notices will recur with a melancholy pleasure to the days 
and weeks which they have passed under his simple but 
hospitable roof. He was addicted to sacred music, and as 



LOTE OF TEACHING. 



369 



both he and Mrs. Alexander were gifted with clear and 
pleasing voices, the hours of family intercourse were enliven- 
ed by many a psalm and sacred song. When such men as 
Dr. John H. Kice, or Dr. Finley, or Dr. J aneway ; were added 
to the circle, the conversation took a higher flight, and we 
remember in his fireside discourses of that day a vehemence 
and impressiveness, which were wanting, except at some 
favoured moments, in his later years. In all that regards 
the indulgence of the table, he was frugal and plain in his 
tastes, and happily temperate without any thing like dietetic 
rigour. 

Nothing more characterized him than his fondness for 
communicating instruction, on every subject, even the most 
elementary, within his reach. It might be the alphabet, or 
Hebrew and Syriac grammar, or geometry and surveying, in 
which he was fully versed, or metaphysics ; he was unwearied 
and delighted, if only he had willing learners ; and he had 
the art of making eveiy learner willing. Though he sent 
his boys to school, always giving his suffrage for the day- 
school method, he was constantly teaching his children. 
Every one of them received from him, and commonly on his 
knee, the rudiments of spelling, arithmetic, geography, 
algebra, geometiy, and the classic languages. He would 
pass hours in a day giving lessons in the alphabet ; breaking 
off a hundred times, as he observed the first symptom of 
weariness. For in regard both to himself and others, he 
acted on Shakspeare's adage, " No profit grows, where is no 
pleasure taken." Every corner of the house was occupied by 
bits of paper, flying like sibylline leaves, and covered with 



370 



HOME LESSONS. 



spelling-lessons, executed by himself in printing characters, 
and decorated with bold but most unartistic drawings of 
beasts, birds and houses. As the little ones got on to the 
dead languages, which, on his plan, was very early, similar 
papers contained lists of Latin words ; these were to be 
committed to memory ; and in the case of one son, the 
number of such words amounted to thousands. He quoted 
with approval the testimony of Dr. Witherspoon, who in 
presbyterial trials used to examine the candidates on 1 voca- 
bles ' rather than on translation of books. These avocations 
were confined to no hours. It might seem strange how he 
could endure the interruption ; but it was his peculiarity 
that he seemed incapable of being interrupted. Except in 
hours of devotion, his study was always free to his children, 
even the youngest ; noise made no difference ; their books 
and toys were on his floor ; and two or three would be 
clambering upon him, while he was handling a folio or had 
the pen in his hand. In times of health and spirits, his 
manner of playing with his children was amusingly romping 
and even boisterous, and he threw them about with a 
sprightliness which often extorted a momentary cry of fear 
or pain. To this may be ascribed the unusual freedom 
which they always had in his presence, but which was 
checked in a moment when he grew suddenly sad or grave, 
as was often the case. Before dismissing the matter of 
family training, we ought to mention his constant and ani- 
mated conversations with his children. It was his solace, at 
home and by the way. Without the slightest appearance 
of plan, but with an easy and spontaneous flow, he was, 



GKAPHIC PREACHING. 



371 



during some hours of every day, pouring forth a stream of 
useful information, on all subjects, but chiefly on religion. 
The whole wealth of his extended reading and observation 
seemed at one time or another to be distilled in these familiar 
interviews. All the romantic and stirring events of his early 
mountain life, the tales of Indian massacres, to which his 
grandmother had fallen a victim, his journeys in new coun- 
tries, and his schoolboy days, came in for their share. He 
excelled in graphic narration, and attracted the attention of 
guests and strangers, even when directly addressing himself 
to babes. As soon as a child could comprehend the subject, 
he began with the beautiful stories of the Bible, and repeated 
them again and again, until the little ones were perfectly ac- 
quainted with them long before they could make use of 
books. It was a common thing for his hearers to be melted 
to tears. This natural and extraordinary gift led him to 
indulge in biblical narrative in the pulpit, to a degree which 
we believe to be uncommon, and gave a singular attraction 
to certain discourses, especially on the parables and miracles 
of our Lord. For the same reason his addresses and sermons 
to children were incomparably winning, and his labours in 
this kind were sought for, far and near, much beyond his 
ability of supply. Without trying to speak in monosyllables, 
as if these were more intelligible than longer words, he al- 
ways made himself perfectly intelligible to the humblest 
capacity. 

Here it gives us great pleasure to insert the testimony of 
a venerable servant of God, the Bev, Dr. Samuel B. Wilson, 
since Professor of Theology in the Union Theological Semi- 



372 



SERMON AT FREDERICKSBURG. 



nary. The incidents which he relates come within the 
period of which we have been treating. " In October, 1816, 
the Synod of Virginia sat in Fredericksburg : — Dr. Alex- 
ander came on from Princeton, to meet his brethren in the 
ministry there. To these brethren, the companions and 
fellow-labourers of his early days, he was strongly attached. 
According to the custom of Synod, there was preaching every 
day and every night during the meeting. The congregations 
were large, attentive, and deeply interested in the services. 
The Superior Court was in session there at the same time, 
and drew together a large collection of men distinguished for 
their intelligence. 

" The fame of Dr. Alexander had gone before him, as a 
superior preacher, and a man occupying the highest station 
in the Presbyterian Church. Grre'at anxiety was conse- 
quently manifested to hear him. On Sabbach day the 
sacrament of the Lord's Supper was to be administered, and 
it was announced that Dr. Alexander would preach the 
Action sermon. At an early hour the church was filled to 
its utmost extent, Among the audience was found the 
Judge of the Court, Judge Brockenborough, of Eichmond, 
many lawyers and physicians, and not a few who seldom 
entered the house of God. Dr. Alexander began his sermon 
with that humility and simplicity for which he was ever so 
remarkable. Such an introduction, to men accustomed to 
judge of greatness by pompous manners and splendid dic- 
tion, produced a feeling of disappointment, and one eminent 
lawyer, who afterwards became a Judge of the Court of 
Appeals, rose from his seat and left the church. 



THE PASCHAL LAMB. 



373 



" The text which he had selected was 1 Cor. v. 7. c For 
even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us/ As he ad- 
vanced in explaining the origin, design, and typical significa- 
tion of the Jewish Passover, he became warm and animated, 
and soon commanded the attention of his whole audience, 
and awakened a universal and intense interest. During the 
discourse of that morning, which many will recollect as long 
as memory lasts, several incidents occurred which showed 
the power of true Christian eloquence. 

" As he passed from the description of the Jewish pass- 
over, to the sacrifice of Christ, he said, bending forward and 
looking intently on the communion table spread before 
him, where the bread and wine lay covered, i But where is 
our lamb? 3 At these words, so impressively uttered, and 
accompanied by a gesture so significant, an old French 
dancing master, who scarcely ever entered the church, rose 
from his seat near the pulpit, and gazed intently, to see if 
there was not something on the communion table, which he 
had not yet seen. An intelligent little girl, too, who sat be- 
fore him, after she returned home, said : c Aunt H. did you 
ever hear such a man ? When he said, " Where is our lamb/' 
he seemed as if he was looking for a lamb on the communion 
table/ 

" As he proceeded in describing the successive scenes of 
our Saviour's sufferings, his hearers became deeply and almost 
universally affected. Feelings which could scarcely be sup- 
pressed were manifest in every part of the house ; and tears 
were seen rolling down the cheeks of many but little accus- 
tomed to weep. When he depicted the last scene of our 



374 



SACRAMENTAL DISCOURSE. 



Saviour's sufferings on the cross, that power of descriptive 
painting, for which he was remarkable in his pulpit efforts, 
was displayed in a manner rarely surpassed by the most 
accomplished orators. Amidst the unutterable agonies which 
Jesus suffered while hanging on the cross, he introduced 
Mary his mother among the spectators, beholding the cruel 
sufferings of her beloved son, and quoted the prediction of 
Simeon as there fulfilled : 6 Yea, a sword shall pierce through 
thy own soul/ Such was his gesture, his voice, his whole 
manner, that had Mary actually stood before the audience, 
with flowing tears and every token of deepest sorrow, the 
impression could hardly have been increased. 

"Dr. Alexander never aimed to excite mere animal 
feelings. The effects produced were the result of Bible 
facts and truths, clearly presented by one who believed them, 
and felt their power. During the delivery of that discourse, 
it would have been easy, repeatedly, to have produced an 
amount of feeling that could not be controlled. Such, how- 
ever, was his command over himself and his audience, that 
besides the speaker's voice, nothing was heard but, here and 
there, a half suppressed sob, and nothing seen to disturb the 
solemnity of divine worship. 

" Many heard Dr. Alexander on that occasion, for the 
first and last time ; but it is believed that the revelations of 
the final judgment will prove that his labours then were 
blessed to the good of many souls." * 

To this may be added a short narrative from the pen of 

'* Virginia Historical Register, Jan. 1852, p. 43. 



COMMUNION IN PHILADELPHIA. 



375 



the late venerable President Brown. " I particularly re- 
member/' says he, " some time after he went to Princeton, a 
sacramental service in the Northern Liberties, where Mr, 
James Patterson was pastor. There had been an extensive 
and powerful revival of religion at that time, as there had 
often been under the ministrations of that excellent though 
somewhat eccentric man. The church was crowded ; I pre- 
sume a majority of the ministers [of the Assembly] attended. 
I suppose near a hundred new communicants stood up in the 
aisles and were addressed by the pastor. After this Dr. Alex- 
ander, who had been previously engaged for this service, arose 
to administer the ordinance. After some preparatory remarks, 
before distributing the bread and the wine, he began with a 
supposition that the Saviour himself was present, and pro- 
ceeded to inquire what in such case he would probably say. 
In a manner at once plain, solemn, searching, and adapted 
to the various conditions of Christians, he presented the 
most touching appeals I had ever heard on such an occasion. 
It almost seemed to me that these were the very words as to 
matter and manner which Christ himself would have uttered. 
After dispensing the elements, he concluded in the same 
admirable strain, using language which a child might under- 
stand. He addressed different classes ; first communicants 
in general ; then those newly admitted, in very melting 
strains ; then the unconverted, and such as had refused to 
own Christ. He addressed the ministers of the gospel, 
6 fathers and brethren 9 then present. He addressed young 
men and young women, and closed by speaking to little 
children, in the very manner of Him who took special notice 



TRAITS OF PREACHING. 



of such, and said, c Forbid them not/ The effect was extra- 
ordinary ; all were melted into tears. I had never heard 
any thing to be compared to it."* 

We have thus, in the absence of documents, and in re- 
gard to a period prosperously monotonous and void of great 
external events, endeavoured to fill the blank with minor 
characteristics, which go to make up the portraiture of the 
man ; and this to some extent must be our resource in the 
chapter which shall follow. 

* Letter of the Rev. Matthew Brown, D. D., to Henry M. Alexander. 



CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 



1818—1829. 

OHUEOH - LABOURS PROGRESS OF SEMINARY — PRIVATE HABITS AND 

DAILY ROUTINE — THE CONFERENCE — CHARACTER OF HIS PREACHING 

THEOLOGICAL TROUBLES — COMMENCEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP— BIBLICAL 
REPERTORY — COLONIZATION — CORRESPONDENCE. 

THE period of ten or twelve years, beginning with 1818, 
was so much like that which preceded it, and so void of 
stirring changes, that we feel the difficulty of treating it, 
so as to escape the charge of wearisome repetition. Yet it 
was a time of quiet and happy progress, both as it regards 
the professor and the school. During this term of years he 
made several visits to Virginia, in some of these being ac- 
companied by his family. These tours, especially in the 
years 1818, 1821, and 1825, are remembered by many in his 
native State ; for he was called every where to the work of 
preaching, and indulged freely in that flow of extemporane- 
ous argument and exhortation, which more than all things 
else seemed to bring out every latent power of his mind and 
heart. He was also during these years repeatedly a commis- 
ioner to the General Assembly. In this court he was fre- 



378 



CHURCH COURTS. 



quently entrusted with important parts of business, and 
some of the public papers bear the marks of his hand. It 
cannot be said that he was a frequent speaker ; but when he 
addressed the house on great subjects, to which he very 
much confined himself, he was uniformly heard with atten- 
tion, and the candour and force of his argument always 
carried weight with the hearers. Some testimony of his co- 
eval and friend, the Eev. Matthew Brown, D. D., President of 
Jefferson College, cannot here seem inappropriate. " I find/' 
says he, "in the minutes of 1803, that (Mr. Alexander) was 
one of a committee c to report on the state of religion/ as 
collected from the statements of the several members who 
were called on in order. Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Miller was 
chairman ; there is, however, I think, internal evidence that 
it was written by Mr. Alexander, or at least that the infor- 
mation and sentiments were from him. No man in that 
house was so well qualified to give a faithful account of these 
remarkable revivals. This report partakes of the same 
spirit which led him to write the History of the Log College. 
— There was one memorable occasion which is worthy of 
special notice ; it was probably in 1820 or 1821. He was 
the chairman of a committee to report some alterations in 
the old Confession of Faith, and particularly in the Form of 
Government. There was a full and free discussion of the 
changes proposed. He spoke very little, and was always 
brief, as was his manner in church courts. On this impor- 
tant occasion, he was frequently called upon to explain ; and, 
?ifter attending to the objections and debate, he arose with 
great modesty, and in a few words, in a lucid and conclusive 



PROGRESS OF SEMINARY. 



379 



way removed all the difficulties. This usually closed the 
discussion, and I do not remember an instance in which his 
views did not prevail. It reminded me of what is stated of 
Dr. Witherspoon, that he did not speak until other members 
had discussed the subject, when in a concise, clear, and forcible 
manner, he gave his views, and generally with a unanimous 
remit." 

On practical questions we are secure in saying that no man 
was regarded as a safer or wiser counsellor. At the same 
time, it is fair to add, that when parties ran high, his charac- 
teristic mildness and caution led many to designate him, 
sometimes not without a sneer, as a moderate man. This 
term was used, however, solely in regard to measures ; for in 
respect to doctrine, there was no period of his life in which 
he did not clearly stand forth, beyond suspicion, as a believer 
and maintainer of the old Westminster tenets, in their strict 
interpretation. 

In the Theological Seminary, every thing was settling 
itself into an established form of prosperity, which gave 
general satisfaction to the Church. The numbers had been 
greatly increased, and the stream of accessions was steady. 
The matriculates were in no year fewer than twenty ; in 
1822 they rose to fifty, and in 1823 to sixty-nine. The 
number of students, which had been forty-seven in 1817, 
became considerably more than a hundred. Several Synods 
began to entertain the project of a full endowment for three 
professorships. But there was nothing which made a greater 
impression, on students and on the public, than the erection 
of an edifice for the accommodation of the young men. Into 



380 



COLLEAGUES. 



this solid and excellent building, though but partially finished 
within ; they entered in the year 1818. About the same 
time Dr. Alexander removed his family into the commodious 
dwelling in which he was destined to end his days. At this 
stage of progress, the public rooms of the Seminary were 
within the large edifice, as yet the only one. These were the 
Oratory or Prayer Hall, also used for lectures and religious 
meetings, and theological debates ; the Eefectory, and two 
library chambers. All concerned felt the cheering influence 
of this change to premises which they could call their own, 
and which had an air of comfort and permanency. The 
students were brought more near to one another and to their 
teachers. The result was seen in greater diligence and punctu- 
ality, increased fellowship in religion and zeal in the pur- 
suit of knowledge ; so that we suppose there has never been 
a period in the history of the Seminary, during which there 
was more animation or delight in all parties. Of the alumni 
of this period, we number among the departed such men as 
Dr. Wisner, of Boston ; Dr. John Breckinridge, and Dr. 
Potts, of St. Louis ; the Eev. Horace S. Pratt, of Georgia ; 
the Eev. James W. Douglass, of Virginia ; the Eev. J ohn 
H. Kennedy, of Pennsylvania; the Eev Joseph Sandford, the 
Eev. Joseph S. Christmas, of New- York ; the Eev. Alexander 
Aikman, the Eev. Professor Dod, of the College of New 
Jersey; the Eev. Samuel Gr. Winchester, of Natchez, and 
the Eev. Theodore Wright, a man of colour. 

In the new circumstances, Dr. Alexander felt himself 
invigorated and advancing. With his colleague, Dr. Miller, 
he maintained the most pleasing and harmonious intimacy j 

21 



HABITS OF THE STUDY. 



381 



and when an additional helper came, it was in the person 
of the Eev. Charles Hodge, whose talents he had early dis- 
cerned, and whom he regarded more as a beloved son than 
*ven as a cherished pupil. He had by this time accumulated 
and digested much of what was to be the matter of his 
teachings ; at least he had surveyed the entire field, and dis- 
tinctly marked out its boundaries and divisions. His study 
door was over against the Seminary entrance, and very near 
to it. These few steps he might be seen to take day by 
day, at the appointed hours, always in full time. And during 
many years of his life, this may be said to have been the 
only bodily exercise he took ; as he was now sliding into that 
habit which afterwards became inveterate. It is not believed 
that he seriously undervalued the importance of this means 
of health in others, but it is certain that in the last thirty 
years of his life, he used as little bodily motion as any man 
of his times ; confining himself not only to one apartment, 
but to one chair. This was in striking contrast with the 
customs of Dr. Miller ; and there was an amicable but in- 
cessant controversy between them on this point, often waged 
with as much ability as jocoseness. This proximity of the 
Seminary, and Dr. Alexander's habit of never denying him- 
self to visitors, contributed very much to that frequency of 
interview with his pupils, which so many of them remember 
with pleasure. At all hours, and often in an unbroken 
succession for hours, he would receive visitors, and listen to 
them commonly with patience. He was certainly to be 
forgiven, if sometimes, in the presence of the more wearisome 
ones, he took up his pen, or gazed abstractedly upon that 



382 



ROUTINE OF TASKS. 



distant horizon marked by blue hills, which he loved to con- 
template from his eastern window. Besides the perpetua* 
work of preparation, in which he was now employed literally 
every day, his regular public services may be stated as fol- 
lows. He had one lecture, daily, which, with the accom- 
panying examination of his classes, occupied at least an hour. 
On Tuesday evening, he attended an exercise of speaking, 
at which every student, at stated periods, pronounced a dis- 
course of his own composition, on some religious subject. To 
this was added, during some years, the delivery of complete 
sermons, by the senior students. All these were subject to 
the professors' criticism, and in these exercises the labour 
was shared by Dr. Miller. On Friday evening, there was a 
debate, on some point in theology or allied subjects, in a 
theological society, comprising almost the whole Seminary. 
The utmost freedom was allowed, and the debate was con- 
cluded by the summing-up of the professors, who were both 
always present. As this was a period of very active con- 
troversy in our Church, on those points of theology which 
have since divided us, there was, as might have been ex- 
pected, a peculiar animation in these discussions ; and in our 
opinion he never shone more, or more displayed his stores of 
knowledge, his grasp of great subjects, or his acumen and 
dialectical force, than in some of these disputations, when, 
after being warmed by hearing the defence of specious error, 
he closed with the establishment of sound doctrine. The 
professors by turns attended evening prayers with the young 
men ; the morning service being conducted by the senior 
students. At these exercises, Dr. Alexander sometimes 



THE CONFERENCE. ggg 

expounded a passage of Scripture, and sometimes made a 
brief but pointed exhortation. He was accustomed also to 
join his colleague in the meeting for prayer, known as the 
Monthly Concert. One day in each month was left vacant, 
for the class prayer-meetings of the young men, and for their 
more solemn private devotions, to which many of them 
added fasting ; and it was common for the professors to meet 
the whole body at a certain hour of the day. From this 
time forward, even before the erection of a separate chapel, 
there was a discourse to the students, on the morning of the 
Lord's Day ; it was delivered alternately by Dr. Alexander 
and Dr. Miller. 

But there was no exercise which more impressed its 
character on the students of that day, than the Conference 
of Sunday afternoon, which has been already mentioned. 
This meeting it is believed owed its origin entirely to the 
suggestion of Dr. Alexander, and was kept up as long as he 
lived. Indeed, there were some peculiarities in the manner 
of conducting it, which may be said to have grown out of 
his remarkable aptitude for free colloquial descant on re- 
ligious topics. As the other exercises of the Seminary were 
intended to give fitness for the external work, this was di- 
rected solely to the cultivation of the heart, and there are 
not a few who bless God that they were ever brought under 
its sacred influence. Nothing could be more simple than 
the mode of managing this colloquy. After singing and 
prayer, a subject in experimental or practical religion, which 
had been named the week before, was discussed. The con- 
versation was opened by one of the students, whose turn it 



THE CONFERENCE. 



was ; any others were allowed to express their views, as they I 
were called on in order ; until a sufficient time had been 
spent. The professors then closed, with a familiar discourse, 
of from twenty to thirty minutes. As we have intimated, 
this was an occasion which more than any other Dr. Alex- 
ander used, for the outpouring of his profound personal ex- 
perience of divine things. There was scarcely a topic in 
regard to vital piety, which did not come into discussion 
during the Seminary course. As he sat in his chair, he 
would begin with a low voice and in the most ordinary tones 
of conversation, evidently relying upon the feeling of the 
moment, as raised by foregoing remark, for all his animation. 
As he went on and drew more largely on his recollections 
and his consciousness, he seldom failed to kindle, and some- 
times at the conclusion left all present in a state of high 
emotion. These remarkable effusions sometimes almost took 
the form of soliloquy, as losing sight of all around him, he 
uttered the serene or enraptured feelings of a soul in com- 
munion with G-od. Singing and prayer closed the service, 
which commonly occupied about an hour and half. It is 
but just to add, that Dr. Miller also delighted in this meeting, 
and contributed to it some of his most valuable thoughts. 
His little discourses here were always digested and methodi- 
cal ; enriched with many golden sayings from old writers, 
and enlivened with anecdotes from his singularly copious 
fund. And, as his colleague was often heard to say, Dr. 
Miller evinced more and more spirituality of view and feel- 
ing, until the very last. 

This Conference was so nearly connected with the reK- 



THE CONFERENCE. 



385 



gious development of Dr. Alexander, that we shall subjoin 
altogether from memory, a few of the subjects which used to 
be treated from year to year. They were such as these : 
The Work of the Spirit on the Heart. — The Nature of true 
Conviction. — True and false Sorrow for Sin. — Saving Faith. 
— What are the Evidences of a Change of Heart ? — Spiritual 
Joy. — The Believer's c first love/ — Indwelling Sin. — Temp- 
tation. — The Mortification of Sin. — Symptoms and Cure of 
Backsliding. — Apostasy. — Spiritual Pride. — The best Me- 
thod of reading the Scriptures. — How to conduct private 
Devotion. — Revivals of Religion. — The best Means for the 
Conversion of Sinners. — Growth in Grace. — Spirit ual-mind- 
edness. — Dangers of a Seminary Life. — Religious Conversa- 
tion. — Fasting. — Nature and Evidences of a Call to the 
Ministry. — Christian Consolation. — Views proper for those 
who are about to enter on the Work of the Ministry. — 
Foreign Missions and the Missionary Spirit. — The Imitation 
of Christ. — Religious Melancholy. — The Regulation of Ap- 
petite. — The Unpardonable Sin. — The Assurance of Hope — 
Preparation for Death. — Walking with Gocl. — Divine Medi- 
tation. — Brotherly Love. — The Sanctification of the Sabbath. 
— The Day of Judgment. — The everlasting Rest of the 
Righteous. Of the opinions which were expressed on these 
and similar points, some notion may be gained, from the 
volume of Practical Sermons, and especially from the work 
on Religious Experience. 

During all this time he was preaching as much as many 
pastors. Both to his own students and to those of the Col- 
lege, he was always welcome in the pulpit. For a time ; he 



386 



WRITTEN SERMONS. 



and Dr. Miller, assisted afterwards by Mr. now Dr. Hodge, 
preached on Sunday evenings in the village church. We 
have said before, that during his whole life as a pastor, Dr. 
Alexander used the free method, and carried no manuscript 
into the pulpit. After his arrival at Princeton, he began to 
change his method in a certain degree, making more experi- 
ment of written composition, in sermons on important topics. 
And what he wrote he also read ; for he frequently declared 
his inability to commit a discourse to memory. We are 
bound to say that so far as manner and impression are con- 
cerned, these efforts fell far below his ordinaiy discourses. 
The matter was always equally valuable, and the train of 
thought was often close and felicitous ; but he was some- 
times indescribably trammelled by his paper, and was not a 
rhetorical reader ; so that whole congregations used to 
brighten up as with a ray of sudden sunshine, when towards 
the close he would throw up his spectacles, cast about his 
penetrating glances, and, as if indignant at his duresse, break 
forth in the liberty of his natural eloquence. No two 
preachers were more unlike, than was he, in the two por- 
tions of one and the same discourse. For this reason, those 
who never listened to him at home, or were acquainted only 
with his discourses on great occasions, which were carefully 
written and read, have but the faintest idea of what he was 
as a preacher. And the period of which we are writing, 
was that in which he condensed into his pulpit exercises the 
greatest amount of theological instruction, with the still un- 
wasted vivacity of his earlier years. In two classes of ser- 
mons he especially excelled ; first, in those which clearly and 



TIMES OF DEBATE, 



387 



connectedly set forth the different parts of doctrine, in the 
way of definition and proof, so as to bring them within the 
scope of the humblest minds ; and secondly, those in which 
he gave the history of a religious experience, in its origin, 
progress and consummation, with minute dissection, graphic 
detail, and moving appeal to the heart. In the latter of 
these, there were many who considered him unsurpassed. 

There has seldom been a time since the opening of 
the Seminary, when it did not contain some students of the 
Baptist persuasion, as many as five such having been there 
at once. It is to the honour of both parties, that, as Dr. 
Alexander loved to declare, no one of these young brethren 
ever gave occasion to censure for indecorous propagandism, or 
ever took offence at the frank expositions of doctrine which 
were made. There was, about this time, an increasing anx- 
iety in the Presbyterian Church, upon a number of ques- 
tions, both doctrinal and practical. These unquiet feelings 
were naturally reflected in the students of the Seminary, who 
at that period came from almost every State of the Union, 
not excepting New England, which was indeed largely re- 
presented. It began to be seriously questioned by many, 
whether the diversity of theological opinion existing among 
our ministers were not too great to be comprehended within 
common symbols. The German philosophy was as yet un- 
known, and even the works of Coleridge, which afterwards 
opened the door for it, had not been read, if we except his 
Biographia Literaria. The later forms of new divinity, com- 
monly attributed to certain New England theologians, were 
only beginning to assume a regular shape. The conflict was 



388 NEW DIVINITY — NEW MEASURES. 

therefore still very much upon the old fields of the preceding 
century, and disputation ran high upon the points mooted by i 
Hopkins and Emmons. It was warmly questioned, whether 
the mind is a series of exercises ; whether Q-od is the efficient 
cause of sinful acts ; and whether the unconditional submis- 
sion of the new creature involves a willingness to be damned 
for the glory of God. Still more earnest was the debate 
concerning the effects of the fall ; the imputation of 
Adam's sin to his posterity ; the imputation of Christ's 
active righteousness to believers ; the nature of moral and 
natural inability ; and the extent of the atonement. These 
questions lie so near the foundations of religion, that they 
were brought into view, whenever instruction and advice 
were to be given to new converts. They were therefore much 
agitated in the great revivals which at this time were spread- 
ing through the land. By many, the supposed improvements 
on some of these heads of theology were held forth as neces- 
sary to the work of general conviction and renewal ; they 
were warmly published amidst the enthusiasms of great 7 
awakenings ; and it was not uncommon to stigmatize those . 
who adhered to old theology, as behind the age, if not as the r 
enemies of revivals. Out of the same extensive excitement i 
of religious feeling, arose new questions as to the mode of 
producing and managing revivals ; and hence the controversy, 
long since dead, concerning New Measures. There are few 
of our older readers who need to be reminded of the alarm 
caused by the methods of Mr. Finney ; the ■ anxious-seat ; 1 
and the Lebanon Conference. These once momentous topics 
belong to our narrative only so far as they had a bearing on 



CONTROVERSIES. 



389 



the mind and labours of its principal subject. As a theolo- 
gical professor he was awake to the important bearing of all 
these innovations. The questions of doctrine were continually 
coming up in church-courts, upon the examination of candi- 
dates, which sometimes afforded opportunity for angry and 
indecorous wrangling between ministers, over the heads, per- 
haps, of students from Princeton. The young men of the 
Seminary came in great numbers from the very midst of 
revival scenes, where these matters of controversy had been 
agitated, in connection with their most sacred exercises. 
There often appeared within the walls of the institution, hot 
and valorous youth, who were wiser than their teachers, and 
eager to beard a professor, and make converts among their 
fellows. The whole of this period, therefore, was one of 
agitation and consequent solicitude ; the rather as the num- 
ber of students was so great. 

These were circumstances which demanded firmness and 
discretion ; and probably there are few who on looking back 
will not acknowledge that Dr. Alexander displayed both. 
As was before said, his theological opinions were settled, and 
were becoming well known ; he was universally ranked 
among the leaders of the old, or as many deemed it, the 
obsolete Calvinism of the seventeenth century. It was al- 
ways his lot to suffer most in reputation from those who 
would have had him quicken his pace, so as to keep abreast of 
the moving column. At no time was he so much aspersed as at 
this ; and not a few represented him as opposed to the glo- 
l rious work of grace which was in progress. It was even said 
that he was utterly unacquainted with the phenomena of 



390 



MODE OF REFUTATION. 



religious revival ; but this was of course the language of 
such as had no knowledge of that early history, with which 
the readers of this volume have been made acquainted. It 
may be safely asserted that there was no man in the Church 
who had studied more closely this whole subject ; and it 
may now be added; that the sober opinions which he calmly 
maintained, in the midst of great opposition, are those which 
have since become the settled judgment of our Church. Un- 
der such a pressure he was led to examine more deeply the 
foundations of his system, and to push his inquiries into the 
recesses of theology, as concerned in the prevailing controver- 
sy. It became also his sacred duty, to inculcate what he held 
to be truth, with augmented diligence, and bv every means to 
guard his pupils against the errors of the age. This he nevei 
attempted in the way of direct debate, or violent assault, 
but rather by the safe establishment of such principles in the 
earlier parts of the course, as from a logical necessity should 
lead to the reception of orthodox opinion. In this endeavour 
we believe the charge against him never was. either that he 
did not understand the points at issue, or that he failed of 
success in implanting his own doctrines in the youthful 
mind, but rather that he proceeded by the way of circum- 
vallation and gradual approaches, so that the conviction was 
carried before they were aware. Thus. likewise, in regard 
to revival measures, he freely expressed the results of his 
long observation, when opportunity was given, in public or 
private ; but in such a way as to show how tenderly he dis- 
tinguished between the genuine work of Divine grace, and 
the excesses of rash and fanatical instruments. He seize ? 



AUTHORSHIP. 



391 



every fair occasion to preach the Word, in seasons of awaken- 
ing, and with a fervour and success that often disarmed 
the prejudice which was ready to arise from mistaken views 
of his position. The juncture was nevertheless one which 
called for circumspect walking, and no doubt led him to 
anxious study and many prayers. 

In this connection it becomes necessary to notice the 
commencement of his authorship. Few men whose works 
fill many volumes ever began to publish so late in life ; for 
his first book was issued when he was about fifty-two years 
of age. The method of preparing for the pulpit by laborious 
but unwritten meditation, was certainly unfavourable to 
facility in composition. He had given a few occasional dis- 
courses to the press, had contributed some articles to the 
Virginia Religious Magazine, of which we can discover no 
copy, to the Assembly's Magazine and other periodical works, 
and had amassed piles of manuscript upon theological sub- 
jects ; but he was yet to embark upon the sea of publication. 
In regard to style he was a rigorous critic, and was always 
di ? .tisfied with himself. He never manifested the slightest 
%>mplaeeney in anything which he composed. He would 
read his manuscript aloud, amend, erase, transpose, and 
frequently cancel. Never feeling perfect freedom in the 
flow of composition, he did not venture upon those imagin- 
ative flights, nor break into that opulence of expression, 
which were common in his oral discourses. Hence he satis- 
fied himself with simplicity and clearness ; qualities which 
his written works possess in the highest degree. In regard 
to his style, it may be observed that he went always for the 



392 



WORK ON THE EVIDENCES, 



thought rather than the words, and was never led along by 
the bait of fine language or the development of a figure. The 
election between these two kinds of writing, must, we suppose, 
be made early in fife. The occasion of his first published vol- 
ume is worthy of mention. It was about the year 1823. 
that a little knot of young skeptics began to make them- 
selves busy in the College of Xew Jersey, and it was feared 
that the evil would become diffusive. At the request of one 
of the tutors. Dr. Alexander prepared a sermon, much longer 
than his wont, and delivered it in the College Chapel. The 
text was Luke xii. 57, "Yea, and why even of yourselves 
judge ye not what is right ? ;? The subject was the Evidences 
of Christianity. The discourse had a happy effect, and awak- 
ened so much attention that it was requested for the press. 
On preparing it for this purpose, he saw room for much ad- 
dition, and at length brought it out as a small volume in 
eighteens. from the Princeton press, under the title, " Out- 
lines of the Evidences of Christianity.*' A second enlarged 
impression was soon called for. It has since passed through 
numerous editions in England and America, has been trans- 
lated into several languages, is used as a text book in many 
colleges and schools, and continues to find sale without any 
diminution from year to year. Of this little manual, Presi- 
dent Talmage observes, " I consider it one of the most per- 
fect models of classic English which is extant : a book to be 
closely studied by the scholar not only for its masterly moral 
demonstrations, but for its lucidness and purity of language/''' 
Yet we remember that the author sent it abroad, with little 
short of trembling. His analogous treatise on the Canon of 



REVIEW OF MURDOCH. 



393 



the Old and New Testament appeared in the year ]826. At 
that time, there was no accessible treatise on this important 
subject. It contains more erudition than any of his pro- 
ductions; and was immediately taken up by the British 
press. Although the substance of this work was incorpo- 
rated with the last improved edition of the Evidences, he 
prepared it afresh for the press in the later years of his life. 
On the whok, it is one of the best specimens of his learned 
and eminently cautious mode of investigation. The publi- 
cation, in 1823, of Professor Murdock's Discourse on the 
Nature of the Atonement, was a critical event in the theo- 
logical history of the times. In opposition to the views there 
avowed, Dr. Alexander contributed a series of articles, occu- 
pying about twenty-five pages in Dr. Green's Christian Ad- 
vocate.* 

In the year 1825, a quarterly publication was issued at 
Princeton, under the title of the Biblical Eepertory. It 
was projected and undertaken by Professor Hodge, under 
whose auspices it has continued to flourish till this day, 
having now completed its twenty-ninth annual volume. As 
it is the oldest of existing American theological reviews, so 
we believe it to have as wide a circulation as any. Its char- 
acter is too widely known to require our commendation. At 
its inception, the plan did not look much beyond the reprint 
of rare and useful treatises on Criticism and Hermeneutics, 
but it soon became the channel for original articles on theo- 
logical subjects. Through good and evil report it has pur- 
sued its way, and has contributed more than any other 
agency, to make known those opinions which belong to what 

* Christian Advocate, 1824, pp. 76, 119, 168. 



394 



BIBLICAL REPERTORY. 



some have chosen to call the Princeton School. In times 
of controversy it has not refrained from a free expression of 
judgment on great questions ; and its pages contain ample 
discussion of all matters relating to the defence of Calvin- 
ism and Presbytery, the policy of the Church, the charities 
of the age, new divinity, new philosophy, and new measures, 
and especially the difficulties which preceded, accompanied 
and followed the division of our ecclesiastical body. Some 
of the ablest writers in our communion have chosen it as the 
vehicle of their best thoughts ; anions; these, to sav nothing 
of those who survive, we may mention Dr. Miller, Dr. Green, 
Dr. Eice, Dr. Fisk, Dr. Breckinridge, Dr. Winchester, and 
Dr. Docl. From the beginning, Dr. Alexander was active as 
a counsellor, and from the year 1829 he was a constant and 
often a large contributor. Its volumes contain some of his 
most elaborate and memorable treatises on theology, besides 
many essays and reviews of a minor sort. 

So far as can be discovered, his first contribution to the 
Review was an Essay on the Bible as furnishing a key to the 
phenomena of the natural world ; appearing in two num- 
bers of 1829. But this was followed by one of his most able 
and striking productions, namely, his review of Dr. Thomas 
Brown's celebrated work on Cause and Effect. As a teacher 
of mental philosophy, and one well versed in all the varieties 
of Scottish opinion, he looked with lively interest upon the 
speculations of this fascinating writer ; and believing them to 
be fraught with danger to the cause of truth, he attempted 
a refutation, which has been judged fair and successful. So 
far as we have learnt, this was the earliest extended reply to 



REFUTATION OF BROWN, 



395 



Brown ; for Sir William Hamilton's noted review in the 
Edinburgh did not make its appearance until the following 
year. To this dissertation we would confidently refer those 
who would judge of his qualifications for metaphysical in- 
quiry, or would learn the methods of subtile and patient 
analysis, for which his lectures were remarkable. In this 
answer, he shows that on Brown's hypothesis all reasoning 
from the nature of an effect to the nature of its cause, or 
the reverse, must be futile ; that this defeats the teleiological 
argument for the being of God ; that it destroys human 
accountability ; and hence that it is untenable and danger- 
ous. The closing sentence is characteristic : " That his 
theories have in some instances operated unfavourably on 
young men of ardent minds, we know to be a fact ; but, in 
our opinion, the right way to prevent the bad consequences 
of such books, is not to prohibit, but to answer them, and to 
lead young men to peruse them with caution, and at the 
right time." 

The name of Dr. Alexander has been long associated with 
the American Colonization Society. Indeed, if those who 
were of the councils which projected it, and early committed 
themselves in its favour, are to be ranked as its founders, 
he assuredly deserves a name among them. The Rev. Dr. 
Robert Finley, the real father of the enterprise in its mod- 
ern form, was a native of Princeton, and an alumnus of the 
College. He was an intimate friend of Dr. Alexander, and 
we remember the long and anxious interviews which they 
held upon this subject. Dr. Finley once said to his friend, 
" When I consider what many others have effected for the 



396 



DR. FINLEY. 



oenefit of their suffering fellow-creatures at an earlier age 
than mine, I am humbled and mortified to think how little 
I have done." This he uttered with ardent emotion, adding 
his determination to engage in some enterprise for the good 
of mankind. Not many months afterwards he disclosed to 
the same friend his plan of a colony of free blacks on the 
western coast of Africa. The scheme struck most as chi- 
merical ; but Finley was immovable, and from the very 
outset Dr. Alexander was as sanguine as he. The first 
public meeting which ever took place in the country to con- 
sider this matter was held in the borough of Princeton ; 
where Dr. Finley gave an exposition of his plan. The meet- 
ing was small, but among those present were the professors 
and most of the students of the Theological Seminary.* It 
certainly added to the interest which he felt in this under- 
taking, that it was his young townsman, Captain Eobert F. 
Stockton, of the United States Navy, who, in 1822, accom- 
panied by Dr. Ayres, effected the purchase of Mesurado 
from the natives, by a series of prudent and heroic acts, 
which almost savour of romance. He never faltered in his 
zeal for colonization. When others fell back, he was always 
hopeful, and his testimony was often repeated, "I am as 
fully persuaded that the plan of colonizing the free people 
of colour in Africa is wise and benevolent, as I ever was of 
the wisdom and benevolence of any human enterprise/' " It 
behooves those," said he, " who industriously sow prejudices 
against Colonization in the minds of the free people of 

* History of Colonization on the AVestern Coast of Africa; p. 80. 



COLONIZATION. 



397 



colour, to consider what injury they may be inflicting on 
them and their posterity. Let them either propose some 
method by which these degraded and down-trodden people 
may be rendered more comfortable and respectable here, or 
let them cease to throw obstacles in the way of their emi- 
gration to a country where they may have the opportunity 
of enjoying the real blessings of freedom. It is in vain to 
declaim about the prejudice of colour ; however unreason- 
able, it will long continue to exist, and will prove an effec- 
tual bar to the possession and enjoyment of the same privi- 
leges and advantages which the white population enjoy. If 
I were a coloured man, I would not hesitate a moment to 
relinquish a country where a black skin and the lowest 
degree of degradation are so identified, that scarcely any 
manifestation of talent, scarcely any course of good conduct, 
can entirely overcome the contempt which exists, and which 
is perhaps stronger in the free than in the slaveholding 
States ; and I would use every exertion to reach a land 
where it is no crime and no dishonour to appear in a coloured 
skin, a country where no white superiors look down upon 
the black race, but where they are lords of the soil and 
rulers of the nation. I admire the honest ambition and 
noble daring of the first emigrants. Then no Liberia ex- 
isted. The Society owned not one foot of ground on that 
continent, and it was extremely doubtful whether they would 
be able to obtain any territory for a colony. Yet these lion- 
hearted men, resolved to run every risk, took their lives in 
their hands. Like Abram, they went out, not knowing 
whither they went ; and the event has proved that they 



398 



VIRGINIA, 



were called by the providence of Gk>d, to engage in this 
hazardous enterprise. And I cannot but feel pity for the 
grovelling views of many coloured men, now residing in a 
state of degradation in this country, who in Liberia might 
rise to wealth and independence, and perhaps to high and 
honourable office." 

The visit which he made to Virginia in 1825, gave great 
pleasure to his friends, and to none more than to Dr. John 
H. Bice, who wrote often concerning it. "If/' says he, 
" you could but have witnessed the universal burst of joy 
when it was understood that you were coming, and the deep 
disappointment expressed by every one, on hearing that 
probably you would not come, you would know what influ- 
ence under the divine blessing you could exert here." " It 
is not possible to hire a carriage for you, in this neighbour- 
hood. Nobody will hear of that. I do trust that we shall 
have the pleasure of seeing you and hearing you talk once 
more. Your head quarters must be with us ; in the old 
house occupied by you so many years. This is the central 
point, to which people are most in the habit of coming ; and 
near which people who come from Cumberland and Charlotte 
will find it easiest to get accommodations." Thus wrote 
this warm friend while the journey was in prospect ; he after- 
wards says : " I do believe that it w r ould prolong your life 
and extend your usefulness, if you could make such a visit 
every year. It might be the means of bringing your children 
acquainted with the children of those, who will never ceas( 
to love you with a fervour and perpetuity of affection, which 
is rarely to be found except among old Virginia Presbyteri- 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



399 



aus. Coine then often among us, and let us enjoy the 
pleasure of showing, or rather trying to show how much we 
love you/' And again : " Your visit last summer constitutes 
an epoch in ' the annals of our Parish/ Things are common- 
ly spoken of, as happening just before, or just after, or while 
Dr. Alexander was here. And if I could have my wish, 
you would render your last services to the Church here, and 
lay your bones to rest in the land of your nativity."* 
Amidst public duties, Dr. Alexander found time to indulge 
the sympathies of Christian friendship. If the correspon- 
dence of that day could be recovered, especially with Dr. 
Eice and Dr. Speece, it would probably give a picture of 
his inward life which no later pen can supply. A few letters 
have been preserved, written to his eldest sister, the wife of 
Professor G-raham of Washington College ; with this excel- 
lent woman he maintained a correspondence for about sixty 
years. She departed this life in 1853, while this memoir 
was in preparation. In the year 1822 he wrote thus to her : 
" I am afraid from what I have heard and from the strain 
of your letter, that your grief on account of the death of 
your beloved daughter has been excessive ; that you have 
yielded more than was good to despondency ; and that you 
are in clanger of sinking into a settled dejection. I know 
that your natural disposition exposes you to an extreme on 
this side, and that unless you vigorously and resolutely 
oppose it, you will be likely to do yourself a serious and per- 
haps a lasting injury. Grief, like all other natural passions, 



* Letters of Dr. Rice, March 18, May 2, August 6, and October 16, 1825. 



400 



LETTER OF CONSOLATION. 



becomes sinful when indulged too far. It then involves 
always some want of confidence in G-od, some improper feel- 
ing in regard to his government and will. It partakes of 
the nature of that sorrow which w T orketh death. It wastes 
the spirits, debilitates the body, predisposes to various dis- 
eases, unfits for the discharge of common duties, destroys 
one's own peace, and adds to the unhappiness of friends. 
Somehow or other, we are not so much afraid of sin, when it 
approaches us through this channel. If we grow light and 
indulge a love of pleasure, conscience is soon wounded ; but 
we are ready to justify our sorrow, and refuse to make the 
effort which is necessary to check it. There is often a strong 
perverseness in the human mind in hugging its sorrows, as 
if they were valuable or sacred. But while the religion of 
Christ permits us to indulge our natural feelings, it strictly 
requires temperance here, as well as in other indulgences. 
It requires us to rejoice, to rejoice always, and to rejoice even 
in tribulation/' And more particularly in the same strain, 
at another time : " I feel for you under the sore bereavement 
which you have suffered ; but the stroke, though severe, 
comes from the hand of a Father, who afflicts not willingly. 
Our children are more the property of Grod than of ourselves. 
He gave and he taketh away, and it is our duty to submit 
to his will in all things ; for whatever he does is right, and 
best for his own children. Hereafter they shall see that 
there was a propriety in all his dealings. To give up a child 
or other dear relative whom we believe to be prepared, is 
comparatively easy ; but to part with one concerning whom 
we have no sure ground of confidence — this indeed is hard ! 



DEATH OF CHILDREN. 



401 



But we are poor judges of what preparation is. We know 
not what God may work in behalf of our children in their 
last moments. We know not but that the principle of grace 
may be implanted in such as are piously educated, earlier 
than we are aware. In some cases, what is called conversion 
may be no more than the development of a principle im- 
planted before. We know not how far the promise of God 
to believing parents, in behalf of their offspring, extends, 
when they are taken away in tender youth. If we believe 
that all the dying infants of such are undoubtedly saved, 
why may we not hope that those who have advanced a little 
beyond infancy may be comprehended in (rod's gracious 
covenant ? Many who never profess religion exhibit more of 
the Christian temper than some who are professors. They 
are diffident of themselves, and do not make known all that 
they have experienced. I cannot but entertain pleasing 
hopes of the salvation of such amiable young persons as have 
been devoted to God, and early imbued with Christian in- 
struction, when they are cut off by premature death. It can 
do no harm to hope as much as we can respecting the dead. 
Let us be as rigid as we please in regard to the living ; but 
it is no dishonour to God, nor disparagement of his truth, 
to entertain enlarged views of his mercy. After all, humble 
submission to the will of God, from a trust in his wisdom, 
faithfulness and mercy, is the best refuge. When Eli heard 
the message of God respecting his sons, his language was, 
* It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good t 6 Be 
still, and know that I am God/ These sore visitations are 
intended to answer wise and gracious purposes. Let us en- 



402 



LETTER TO HIS MOTHER. 



deavour to profit by seasons of adversity. For most, it is 
good to be afflicted. Beware of a gloomy, disconsolate mind. 
Let not grief prey upon your spirits, and unfit you for the 
duties of a Christian. We must all very soon die, and it is 
much better that our children should go early, than live to 
be old in sin, and then die without an interest in Christ. 
Cast all your care upon the Lord. Commit all into his hands. 
Blessed are they that trust in him ! " 

A place is due also, to the only letter to his aged and 
declining mother, which is known to be in existence. 

DR. ALEXANDER TO HIS MOTHER. 

"Princeton, May 25, 1823. 

" My dear Mother : — 

" When I last saw you, it was very doubtful whether 
you would ever rise again from the bed to which you were 
confined. Indeed, considering your great age, it was not to 
be expected that you should entirely recover your usual 
health. I was much gratified to find that in the near pros- 
pect of eternity, your faith did not fail, but that you could 
look death in the face without dismay, and felt willing, if it 
were the will of God, to depart from this world of sorrow 
and disappointment. But it has pleased your Heavenly 
Father to continue you a little longer in the world. I regret 
to learn that you have endured much pain from a disease of 
your eyes, and that you have been less comfortable than 
formerly. Bodily affliction you must expect to endure as 
long as you continue in the world. ' The days of our years 



LETTER TO HIS MOTHER. 



403 



are tliree-score years and ten, and if by reason of strength 
they be four-score years, yet is their strength labour and 
sorrow ; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away/ But while 
your Heavenly Father continues you in this troublesome 
world, he will, I trust, enable you to be resigned and con- 
tented and patient under the manifold afflictions which are 
incident to old age. 

"The great secret of true comfort lies in a single word, 
Trust. Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he will sustain 
them. If your evidences of being in the favour of God are 
obscured, if you are doubtful of your acceptance with him, 
still go directly to him by faith ; that is, trust in his mercy 
and in Christ's merits. Eely simply on his word of promise. 
Be not afraid to exercise confidence. There can be no de- 
ception in depending entirely on the "Word of God. It is 
not presumption to trust in him when he has commanded us 
to do so. We dishonour him by our fearfulness and want of 
confidence. We thus call in question his faithfulness and 
his goodness. Whether your mind is comfortable or dis- 
tressed, flee for refuge to the outstretched wings of his pro- 
tection and mercy. There is all fulness in him ; there is all 
willingness to bestow what we need. He says, c My grace is 
sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness. 
As thy day is so shall thy strength be. I will never leave 
thee nor forsake thee. Though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art with 
me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me/ Be not afraid 
of the pangs of death. Be not afraid that your Redeemer 
will then be afar off. Grace to die comfortably is not com- 



404 



LETTER TO HIS MOTHER. 



monly given until the trial comes. Listen not to the 
tempter, when he endeavours to shake your faith, and destroy 
your comfort. Eesist him, and he will flee from you. If 
you feel that you can trust your soul willingly and wholly to 
the hands of Christ, relying entirely on his merits ; if you 
feel that you hate sin, and earnestly long to be delivered 
from its defilement ; if you are willing to submit to the will 
of God, however much he may afflict you ; then be not dis- 
couraged. These are not the marks of an enemy, but of a 
friend. My sincere prayer is, that your sun may set in se- 
renity ; that your latter end may be like that of the right- 
eous ; and that your remaining days, by the blessing of 
God's providence and grace, may be rendered tolerable and 
even comfortable. 

" It is not probable that we shall ever meet again in this 
world ; and yet, as you have already seen one of your 
children go before you, you may possibly live to witness the 
departure of more of us. I feel that old age is creeping 
upon me. "Whoever goes first, the rest must soon follow. 
May we all be ready ! And may we all meet around the 
throne of God, where there is no separation for ever and 
ever ! Amen ! 

" I remain, your affectionate son, 

"A, A." 



CHAPTEE SIXTEENTH. 



1830—1839. 

DIVISION OF THE PEESBYTEEIAN CHUEOH — PEOSPEEITY OF SEMINAEY — INVI- 
TATION TO VIRGINIA LITEEAET TOILS — WRITINGS OF THIS PEEIOD 

DOMESTIC LIFE — COEEESPONDENCE — EEVIYALS — SLAVES AND SLAVEEY — 
PEOSPECT OF DEATH. 

FKOM the year 1830, there was a period which was as 
anxious as any equal portion of time, to the Church and 
the Seminary. We are not called upon to recite those pain- 
ful controversies, which in 1838 resulted in the secession of 
a large body of ministers and Presbyteries from the Presby- 
terian Church. That history has been amply recorded, by 
persons friendly to both sides of the great question. But it 
would be impossible to write the life of Dr. Alexander with 
truth and candour, without representing his views, and stat- 
ing his position, in regard to matters which connected them- 
selves with all that he held most dear. As has been already 
suggested, the agitations of the Church communicated their 
impulses to the Seminary, and during the years of which we 
are writing, naturally occupied to a great extent the minds 
of both professors and students. But one reason which con- 



406 



CHURCH DIFFICULTIES. 



clusively precludes the subject from these pages, as to any 
discussion of its merits, is that Dr. Alexander never chose 
to make himself prominent, even as a champion for the opin- 
ions which he firmly maintained. To this course he was led, 
partly by a temper eminently moderate and pacific, which 
some denominated timidity ; partly by views which he enter- 
tained concerning the functions of a theological professor, 
as to a certain degree withholding him from the field of 
strife ; but more than all, by his inability to coincide with 
many respected brethren, as to the particular means by 
which acknowledged evils were to be remedied. His position 
in regard to these controversies may be thus simply stated. 
In doctrine he was a Calvinist of the Westminster type, 
and was recognised as such, by friends and opponents. No 
single man can be found, even during this period of excite- 
ment, who employed his pen more laboriously or frequently, 
in defence of the doctrines which distinguish what had begun 
to be called Old School Theology. This is sufficiently evinced 
by his articles on Original Sin, on Natural and Moral Ability, 
on the Atonement, and on Imputation. And the doctrines 
which he believed, he also diligently, fully, and successfully 
inculcated upon his students, who were already becoming 
numerous in the ministry. In regard therefore to theological 
tenets, and his view of their importance, he did not yield to 
the most impetuous of his brethren. 

A second remark is equally just ; he believed that a con- 
siderable number of ministers in our Church had departed 
from these doctrines, and in so doing had deviated from the 
standards of the church. Here arose a question, as to the 



SOURCES OF STRIFE. 



407 



more or less of this deviation ; how great it must be, to 
render one unfit for the ministry ; and how much must be 
left to the individual conscience of him who subscribed arti- 
cles of faith. On this point, as we shall presently show, his 
comprehension of slight differences was wider than that of 
some. It must be added, that he lamented the disunion, 
embarrassment, and annual contentions, which were making 
our Church a proverb. He saw clearly that elements thus 
irreconcilable, ought to be apart, and expected that division 
must some day ensue ; while, as his published opinions indi- 
cate, he was unwilling that orthodox men should take the 
initiative in such division. Of the complicated acts and 
measures, by which the friends of truth sought to rid them- 
selves of the evils, there were some which he could not ap- 
prove ; and hence he lost the favour of many from whom he 
was little inclined to be separated. When at length, the 
division was effected, not by process for error in doctrine, but 
by the spontaneous secession of large numbers, including all 
the adherents of new doctrine, he cordially and determinately 
stood by the constitutional body, and never ceased to rejoice 
in the quiet and purity of the Church which was the result. 

The turbulent spirits of the time were causing dissension 
in respect not only to theological opinion, but the means of 
promoting the conviction and conversion of sinners ; hence 
as much was said of New Measures, as of New Divinity. To 
justify what has just been summarily stated as to Dr. Alex- 
ander's position, we shall make a few citations from what is 
extant in his own words. In the year 1832, he contributed 
to the Biblical Repertory an article on " The present con- 



408 



OLD AND NEW SCHOOL. 



dition and prospects of the Presbyterian Church/' It was 
the first essay in that work which explicitly recognised the 
party-troubles in our communion. It sustains what we have 
affirmed respecting his estimate of the theological errors then 
rife. "That there exists a difference of opinion in the 
Church," says he, " in reference to certain doctrinal points, 
and as to the precise import of the act of adopting the Con- 
fession of Faith, by candidates at their licensure and ordi- 
nation, cannot be denied or concealed. It is also apparent, 
that the numbers who choose to range themselves under one 
or the other of these parties, are pretty nearly balanced. 
Hitherto, in all questions which put the strength of the 
Old and New Schools, as they have been called, to the test, 
the majority has been found on the side of the former, until 
the meeting of the last General Assembly, when a decided 
majority appeared on the other side. It is true, indeed, that 
the points on which a division took place between them, on 
that occasion, were not doctrinal points, but certain ecclesi- 
astical transactions, relative to missionary operations and the 
training of candidates for the ministry ; yet it is understood 
that generally the respective parties were agreed in their 
views of theology. This difference may be considered there- 
fore, as having its foundation in a diversity of theological 
opinion." How grave this diversity was, may be gathered 
from another article, of which indeed he was not the author, 
but to which he is known to have given his assent. " We 
wished it to be understood, that we were the determined 
opponents of all those in our communion who manifested a 
leaning towards Arminian or Pelagian opinions in theology, 



VIEW OF THE DIFFERENCES. 



409 



or* who discovered a disposition to invade the principles of 
Presbyterian church government, or to exchange them for 
those of the Congregational system. Against these, and 
against all who manifested a desire to favour them, we have 
lifted our voice from time to time — feebly, we acknowledge, 
but, according to our ideas of propriety, as distinctly and 
decisively as we were able." He believed that there were 
such errors maintained by ministers and authors as should 
disqualify them for exercising office in our church ; but he 
also believed that there were some differences which did not 
amount to heresy, and which ought not to be made matter 
of discipline. And while he always defended the strict in- 
terpretation of subscription to articles, he was certainly more 
lenient in his judgments than some who acted with him. On 
this point, his views are best expressed by what he uttered 
in a conference of clergymen, in 1835. "Dr. Alexander ex- 
pressed his belief that our church could not long be governed 
by a General Assembly, as constituted at present ; but that 
the evil ought not to be precipitated. He declared his belief 
that the most important difference between the friends of 
the truth was as to the degree of theological difference which 
might be tolerated."* In the same spirit he wrote to Dr. 
Weed ; " We go on here upon our old moderate plan, teach- 
ing the old doctrines of Calvinism, but not disposed to con- 
sider every man a heretic who differs in some few points 
from us."f 

For a long time he had augured evil from the diffusion 

* MS. Notes of a Conference, held April 15, 1835. 

f Letter to the Rev Henry R. Weed, March 8, 1834. 



410 



FOREBODINGS. 



of new opinions. As early as 1831, he writes to a friend : 
" My mind is full of gloomy apprehensions respecting the 
affairs of our church, since the meeting of the last General 
Assembly. I cannot foresee whither we shall be driven. I 
had never suspected that the new men and new measures 
would so soon prevail in the supreme judicatory of our 
church. But I need not dwell on this subject, as I have 
nothing remedial to communicate. If the Lord intends good 
for the church, our exertions will prosper. But if we are to 
be handed over to the men of the new religion, bound hand 
and foot, then we must yield, and mourn in secret places 
over the departed glory. We old men shall soon leave the 
stage. The burden and heat of the day will soon come upon 
you young men, who will have great ueed to be strong, to 
preserve the ark of the Lord from falling into the hands of 
the Philistines. Quit yourselves like men. Stand up bravely 
for the religion of your fathers, which is also ours, by delib- 
erate choice, as well as inheritance."* 

Deeply as he felt the evil of increasing error, he had 
from the beginning a dread of originating any measure of 
division. That this was his sentiment, at least in 1834, is 
manifest from his language in an article to which reference 
has already been made. "If it is now found/' says he, 
"that our differences are so wide, that we cannot live in 
peace, let us peaceably agree to separate into two distinct 
denominations. This should, however, be the last resort. 
The Church of Christ is one, and all who agree in essential 
matters should hold communion together, notwithstanding 

* Letter to the Rev. W. S. Plainer, July 6, 1831. 



EVILS OF DIVISION. 



411 



minor differences. And if division on account of some 
diversity in sentiment commences^ there is no telling where 
it will end ; for we presume there are no two men who in 
all their opinions on every subject entirely agree. And as 
not only our presbyteries, but our congregations are in a 
multitude of cases composed of persons who agree partly 
with one and partly with the other side, a division of the 
Church by a line of difference on theological points, would 
split many churches into two parts, neither of which woidd 
be able, without the other, to support the G-ospel among 
them. Endless controversies also respecting the church pro- 
perty would necessarily arise, and society would be agitated 
and convulsed to its very foundations. And as brethren, 
differing as we now do, have hitherto continued to live in 
peace, and in most places in great harmony, have loved each 
other as brethren, and have cordially co-operated in promot- 
ing the Redeemer's kingdom, why may not this still be the 
case, after the present exacerbation of feeling has subsided ? 
Upon mature deliberation, therefore, we declare our senti- 
ments to be opposed to all schemes which tend to the divi- 
sion of the Presbyterian Church. 'We do not know, indeed, 
that there are any persons who seriously wish or meditate 
any such thing ; but sometimes hints and rumours come to 
our ears, which seem to have this bearing/'* Such were 
his avowed opinions at this time ; but these were during the 
first acts of the drama. He very soon came to perceive the 
causes of separation were almost unavoidable. Thus he writes 
to a former pupil, in 1837 : " I tremble for the ark. I see 



* Bibl. Repertory, 1834, p. 39 



412 



PROSPECT OF DIVISION. 



dark lowering clouds collecting. The new Kevival Meas- 
ures, connected with the New Theology, are gaining strength 
and popularity every day. The stream is deepening and 
widening, and will shortly pour forth such a torrent as will 
reach over the whole surface of this land. Our Church 
cannot proceed much further under her present organization. 
The General Assembly ought not to be long continued in 
its present form. But what can be done ? Divide ? How ? 
If shades of opinion must mark out our parties, we may 
have a dozen as well as two. I say, No division. Let us 
hold together as long as the foundation can be felt unclei 
our feet. When that sinks, then c what shall the righteous 
do He then proceeds to indicate a new organization of 

the body, retaining the General Assembly as a bond of 
union and council of brethren.* Again, about the same time, 
to a valued pupil of his earliest class : " I hope that your 
Presbytery has honoured you with a seat in the next General 
Assembly. Men of nerve should have hold of the vessel in 
the time of a tempest, for doubtless the New School brethren 
will rage and clamour loudly. But we mean them no in 
jury. It is necessary for our very existence, that we should 
be separate/^ As early as 1833, he had expressed similar 
fears to the same friend : " Pittsburg Synod/' so he writes, 
" is the purest and soundest limb of the Presbyterian body. 
When we fall to pieces in this quarter, and in the far West, 
that synod will be like a marble column which remains un- 
disturbed in the ruins of a mighty temple. I do not know 

* Letter to the Rev. W. S. Plumer, Sept. 13, 1837. 
f Letter to the Rev. Henry R. Weed, April 14, 1833. 



THE DIVISION. 



413 



but that more of us will be obliged to seek an ultimate 
refuge in that region from the overflowing of new divinity 
and new measures. As you suggest, through the ultraism 
of the Old and the New School, the sound and moderate part 
of the Church is placed in jeopardy."* 

From these scattered expressions of opinion, it is suffi- 
ciently manifest, that with all his desire for peace^ he had 
slowly and reluctantly arrived at the conclusion, that the 
two parties could not much longer remain in union. Yet 
he took no leading part in the immediate causes of the 
division, which eventually took place in 1838. It is well 
known that he never gave his assent to the Act and Testi- 
mony. As a member of the Assembly of 1837, he advo- 
cated the abrogation of the Plan of Union ; he voted for the 
act disowning the Western Eeserve Synod ; but did not 
vote for the act dissolving the connection of the Synods of 
Utica, Geneva and Genesee. He was, moreover, with Doc- 
tors Baxter and Leland, in preparing the pastoral letter 
addressed to the churches by the General Assembly. There 
can be no doubt that all his sympathies were with the ma- 

I jofity ; that he approved of the end which they had in view ; 
and that he was prepared to sanction and defend to a certain 
extent the means which they adopted to accomplish that 
end. After the separating acts were passed, and when the 
churches, presbyteries and synods which they affected, refused 
to submit to them, or even to regard the abrogation of the 
Plan of Union as a valid act ; but on the contrary resolved 

j to proceed as if the said plan was still in force, and to claim 

* To the same, Feb. 21, 1833. 



414 



STATE OF THE SEMINARY. 



for all judicatories formed under it a right to sit in the 
General Assembly ; lie certainly never manifested . the 
slightest hesitation as to which party was right. After the 
accomplishment of the division, and especially after the 
ground assumed by the minority in the Assembly of 1838, 
when they withdrew and claimed to constitute the Presby- 
terian Church, there was no man who entertained more 
strongly than he disapprobation of the whole course pursued 
by that minority, or who took a livelier interest in the success 
of the Old School Assembly in all its conflicts. It is believed 
that the articles on the division of the Church which appeared 
during this period, though not from his pen, may be taken as 
expressing his views on the general subject. 

There is no friendly and competent reader of this me- 
moir, who will not admit that the writer has had a difficult 
and delicate task, in making the brief record above given. 
He durst not suppress it, from any fear or favour ; and he 
has in no case consciously coloured it with any opinions of 
his own, but has simply endeavoured to record in truth the 
judgments of an honoured parent. 

To not a few it was matter of surprise that the dissen- 
sions in the Church produced so little injury to the Theologi- 
cal Seminary. The truth is, it never was in a more healthful 
condition. Immediately after the disruption of the body, it 
is true, there was a sudden falling off in numbers, so that m 
1839 the whole amount was only ninety-eight. But this loss 
was almost immediately repaired, and the average of matri- 
culations for the decennium, 1830-1839, was fifty-three an- 
nually ; rising in 1831 to seventy-eight. The whole nunibei 



INVITATION TO VIRGINIA. 



415 



of students was, in 1836, one hundred and thirty-six ; in 
1837, one hundred and forty-two ; and in 1838, one hun- 
dred and thirty-five. The disputes of the time gave renewed 
animation to all concerned ; and in particular the widely 
extended interest in questions arising out of revivals, infused 
a zeal into the young men, which sometimes demanded the 
cautious hand of repression and guidance. The three in- 
structors were perfectly united in their views concerning all 
the points in controversy. It will probably be- acknowledged 
by all who were in the Seminary, during these years, that 
the course of learning was pursued with uncommon ardour 
and satisfaction. 

We have already noticed the strong desires which had 
been felt in regard to the return of Dr. Alexander to his 
native State. These attempts were more earnestly renewed 
in the year 1831. The nature of the proposal will best ap- 
pear from an authentic representation of the proceedings of 
the Synod of Virginia. This was unquestionably the most 
serious inducement which was ever presented to draw him 
away from Princeton. The invitation of the Synod was 
reinforced by numerous private letters. In one of these, a 
brother clergyman still living thus puts the case : " In refe- 
rence to the great question submitted to your consideration, 
I have thought much ; and though I may not be able to 
present the subject in one single point of light in which you 
have not viewed it, yet the more I reflect on it, the more it 

jj 

seems to me that you may possibly think it your duty to ac- 
cept the invitation, which I know will be given with great 



416 



UNION SEMINARY. 



unanimity and warm affection, if there be any hope of its 
meeting a favourable reception. 

" Two reasons influenced the members of the Synod, in 
making the effort to ascertain beforehand what would proba- 
bly be the result of the appointment, should it be made. 
One was that they did not wish to agitate the Church, and 
raise hopes which might issue in disappointment. The 
other was that the interests of the [Union] Seminary re- 
quired, nay imperatively demanded, that as little delay as 
possible should attend the filling of the vacancy. At the 
called meeting the nomination could not be made, because it 
was not contemplated in the call ; but it will be made at 
the regular meeting. But while there are such pressing rea- 
sons for coming to a decision as soon as practicable, there 
seem to me, as before intimated, strong inducements to a 
favourable determination. 

".The Seminary, raised at great expense, with much toil 
and solicitude, and with the sacrifice of one of the best 
lives among us, is now on an elevated poise ; and I know 
not who is so likely to sustain it as yourself. — [Dr. Eice] 
in the last hour of his mortal struggle expressed a strong 
desire that the institution might continue to be conducted 
on the same principles as by himself. In you, the Synods 
would cordially and with great confidence unite. The insti- 
tution would not be under the control of the jarring ele- 
ments of the General Assembly/' It is scarcely needful to 
add, that none of the considerations thus proposed had suf- 
ficient force to withdraw Dr. Alexander from the post to 



AUTHORSHIP. 



417 



which he had been assigned by the Church. But this ad- 
verse decision cost him a serious struggle of feeling. 

This was beyond all doubt the period of his greatest 
literary activity. Both in pressing his researches into the 
works of others, and in committing his own thoughts to 
writing, he was indefatigable, so that he scarcely knew an 
idle horn. He was constantly adding to his written lectures, 
filhng up gaps in the series, and by compilation and original 
research preparing himself for treatises and volumes which 
he afterwards made public. His voluminous manuscripts 
largely belong to this period. Having discovered a faculty 
of composition, of which he had long supposed himself des- 
titute, he began to make amends for past inaction. At no 
time did he contribute so much to the Biblical Bepertory, 
and his choice was generally directed to the most important 
subjects ; which, however, he saw fit to treat rather in their 
principles and history, and upon their intrinsic merits, than 
with express allusion to the controversies then agitating the 
American Churches. Some of these essays deserve a passing 
notice in any tribute to his memory. 

In 1830 he communicated to the above named quarterly 
work an essay on the " Early History of Pelagianism." In 
preparation for this and some kindred articles he read largely 
in the works of Augustine, as well as the Massiliensian Semi- 
pelagians and their opponents. He also made himself thor- 
oughly acquainted with the works of Jansenius, an author 
in whom he took a lively interest. He communicated to those 
around him a lively interest in Augustine and his times, 



418 



THEOLOGICAL ESSAYS. 



and would sometimes go largely into the story of those angry 
controversies, as he sat among his family, with great anima- 
tion and effect. We were informed by the Kev. Dr. Syming- 
ton of Glasgow, that this essay, and several analogous ones 
yet to be mentioned, are not only commended to students 
of the Eeformed Presbyterian Church, but are even made 
subjects of examination by the professor. * The writer's own 
conclusions are indicated by the last sentence of this essay : 
" It is our opinion, therefore, after looking on all sides, and 
contemplating the bearing and consequences of all theories 
on this subject, that no one is on the whole so consistent 
with facts, with the Scriptures, and with itself, as the old 
doctrine of the ancient church, which traces all the sins and 
evils in the world to the imputation of the first sin of Adam ; 
and that no other theory of original sin is capable of sustain- 
ing the test of an impartial scrutiny/' The same volume 
contained a contribution on " the Doctrine of Original Sin 
as held by the Church, both before and after the Keforma- 
tion/'f In the course of the next year he published " An 
Inquiry into that Inability under which the Sinner labours, 
and w r hether it furnishes any Excuse for his Neglect of 
Duty ; ;; a dissertation which vindicated the Calvinistic 
views, and was justly regarded as one of the ablest produc- 
tions of his pen4 We have already spoken of his article on 
a proposed re-organization of the Presbyterian Church. This 
was followed, in 1832, by a treatise on the Synod of Dort, in 
which the history of doctrine in that day is treated.§ A fai 

* Biblical Repertory, 1830, pp. 77-113. 
f Biblical Repertory, 1830, pp. 481-503. 
X Biblical Repertory, 1831, pp. 360-383. 
§ Biblical Repertory. 1832, pp. 239-252 



BIBLICAL REPERTORY, 



419 



more able article was the review of the " Essays on the For- 
mation of Opinion and the Pursuit of Truth;" works in 
which there was an insidious attack upon some fundamentals 
of ethical science. The questions which are here discussed at 
great length and with the utmost vigour of his mind, are two : 
first, the responsibility of man for his opinions, and, sec- 
ondly, whether any testimony is sufficient to establish a fact 
which is a departure from the laws of nature.* The next 
year produced an essay on the Kacovian Catechism, in which 
he details the history and tenets of the early Socinians ; and 
a translation of Melancthon's treatise on Sin.f Besides an 
article on Transubstantiation, he wrote an extensive histori- 
cal sketch of the Scotch Secession ; and reviews of Way- 
land's Moral Science, and Woods on Depravity. We omit 
a number of minor reviews, which appeared during the same 
period. 

But his labours with the pen were by no means confined 
to sermons, lectures, and periodical essays. In the year 
1831, he prepared a new edition of his work on the Evi- 
dences of Christianity, with additional matter which tended 
much tr its completeness. His book on the Canon of Scrip- 
ture was sent to him in a London reprint, in 1832. In 
1833, he published a " History of the Patriarchs." He also 
contributed to a religious journal, in 1839, those essays on 
Eeligious Experience, which have since appeared in a vol- 
ume. It is sufficiently shown, therefore, that neither pro- 

* Biblical Repertory, 1832, pp. 394-4-28. 

+ Biblical Repertory, 1833, pp. 180-204, and pp. 521-531. 



420 



PROSPECT OF DECLINE. 



fessional toils nor the agitations of church controversy had 
impaired his relish or capacity for the severe labours of the 
study. 

If now we take a glance at matters more personal and 
domestic, we must remember that he was no longer in his 
physical prime, as during this ten years' period he passed his 
grand climacteric. It was certainly something remarkable, 
for a man turned of sixty to apply himself with such enter- 
prise and earnestness to new and different pursuits ; the 
rather, when as we afterwards learn this was only the begin- 
ning of labours which were to endure for nearly twenty years. 
During the time of which we write his health was interrupt- 
ed, not only by his never absent nervous disorders, but by 
acute sciatica, and in 1833 by a slight haemoptysis. Some- 
times he looked upon the probabilities of extended life as 
very faint. Thus he writes to his eldest sister, in 1831 : 

" Although I wrote to you by mail not long since, I will 
not permit so favourable an opportunity as that which now 
offers to pass without dropping you a line. The time of our 
earthly correspondence is drawing to a close. I am now in 
my sixtieth year, and you are a little older. This is an age 
to which I never expected to come ; but Providence has 
preserved me, and brought me along ; and upon a review of 
my life I have reason to be thankful for the manifold bless- 
ings which I have received. But I have nothing to say re- 
specting my own fidelity and diligence, except what is of the 
most humbling kind. I must cast myself entirely on the 
free mercy of Grocl and the rich merits of Jesus Christ. This 
is all my hope and all my salvation. I find, as I suppose 



VIEWS OF DEATH. 



421 



you do, that the arrival of old age does not bring death any 
nearer to the feelings. I have indeed a rational conviction 
that I am nearer to my end, but as to realizing apprehen- 
sions of death, I am not conscious that this acknowledged 
nearness has any effect on my views of the importance of 
that awful event. In regard to the state of the soul imme- 
diately after death, I find my mind filled with darkness 
when I attempt to form particular conceptions of it. My 
only relief is in relying on the general promises of the Grospel, 
and dismissing all solicitude about the mode of existence or 
the special nature of the feelings in that untried state. I 
have always wished and hoped to arrive at a degree of faith 
in the things of the invisible world, to which I have not yet 
attained. In my ideas of divine things there is too much 
of imagination — of mere notion— too little of the feeling of 
reality. When, for a moment, I can conceive of eternity, as 
a real, approaching state, I am startled— and feel astonished 
at my habitual apathy. Sometimes, when I awake suddenly 
in the night, the thought of eternity and of the judgment is 
overwhelming. But these impressions soon pass away, I am 
occupied with visible scenes and earthly cares, and for a great 
part of the time futurity is out of view. 

" I am much concerned about the state of our Church. 
Every thing in the signs of the times is ominous ; for while 
revivals are multiplied, errors appear to be coming in like a 
flood. Divisions threaten to rend the body, and thus peace 
— one of the richest blessings of the Grospel — will be lost. 
But the Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice ! I do not look 
forward to any time when I shall have it in my power to 



422 



LABOURS. 



visit Virginia again. It is, however, a matter of little con- 
sequence. Let us all be engaged in preparing to meet in a 
happier world." * 

This was the very time at which efforts were making in 
Virginia, as related above, to bring him again to his native 
State. In writing to his son, he speaks of a letter, " the 
object of which/' says he, " was to learn whether there existed 
any insuperable objection in the way of my consenting to 
take Dr. Kice's place in the Union Seminary. They seem to 
think that the existence of the institution will depend upon 
the success of this project. I have not had time to give it 
much consideration. If I were younger and more capable 
of answering their expectations, I would think seriously of 
it ; for in the distractions of the church in this region I fear 
that our Seminary will become a bone of contention. And 
as Mr. Hodge is well prepared to take my place, and nothing 
would be requisite but to put some young man in his place, 
I do not see that this institution would suffer much loss by 
my departure/' f These negotiations we have already said 
resulted in nothing. He made a visit to Virginia in the 
Autumn of 1835, but no case occurred during the whole re- 
mainder of his life, in which he seems to have thought of 
leaving New Jersey. 

To give a recital of his pulpit labours, would be to re- 
peat what has been said in the previous chapters. Scarcely 
a Lord's Day passed in which he was not preaching, at home 
or abroad, and he was frequently called to such exercises 

* Letter to Mrs. Graham, July 27, 1831. 
{ Letter to J. W. A., Sept, 15, 1881. 



INFLUENCE ON THE YOUNG-. 



423 



during the week. These labours were made much more 
abundant by the great prevalence of religious awakenings in 
the land ; and it is remarkable, that while he was reputed 
by some an enemy of revivals, or at least one ignorant of 
their nature, there was no preacher whose services were 
sought with greater avidity, during such seasons of religious 
warmth. The controversy ran high about New Measures, or 
the system of means employed in revivals On this sub- 
ject, as we need scarcely say, his judgment was with that of 
the sober party, a judgment which has since become that of 
the Church at large. 

As the number of students was now very large, he had 
abundant opportunity to exercise that influence which has 
already been mentioned, by means of private counsel. It is 
in connection with this that hundreds remember him, with 
even more warmth than in his character of public instructor. 
And as many of his former pupils were now established in 
their posts of usefulness, he kept up a paternal regard for 
them, and often gave them letters of counsel. An eminent 
clergyman, whose name would add force to the statement, if 
we were sure of his permission to publish it, after referring- 
to his own early authorship, speaks thus of Dr. Alexander. 
" I have said these things because I feel indebted to him for the 
kindness with which he treated me and my maiden production. 
I am under many other obligations to him ; yes, more than 
I can express. His sweet simplicity, his perfect naturalness, 
his saintly purity ; how deeply have they inscribed them- 
selves on my memory !" The portraiture would be incom- 
plete without some specimens of these. "If you cannot live 
a t * e e » so h e writes to a young minister, " on the sala- 



424 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



iy which they give you, you will be under a necessity of re- 
moving ; and you ought to consider whether this is not an 
opening in Providence for your relief. In my opinion, no 
situation is so desirable for a preacher as a pastoral charge ; 
and no man called to the ministry ought to relinquish it for 
any other business, unless there be an evident prospect of 
greater usefulness ; or some physical disqualification for the 
work. When a man alleges that he cannot visit, or perform 
other parochial duties for which he has bodily strength, it is 
just as if a servant should pretend that he cannot do the 
work for which he is employed. A minister of Jesus Christ 
must divest himself of fastidiousness, and exercise self-denial 
in the performance of his duties. In regard however to what 
is duty (in the matter of pastoral visits) every man must 
judge independently for himself, and not be governed by the 
whims of well-disposed but weak women. In a large city, 
preparation for the pulpit is the main thing, and except in 
case of illness, comparatively little good is accomplished by 
running from house to house. The preacher who ably fills 
the pulpit will, on the whole, get along very well. The 
course in such a place as Baltimore would be for the minis- 
ter first to prepare for his pulpit exercises on the Sabbath ; 
next he should be attentive to Bible Classes, Sunday Schools, 
and catechizing ; and should visit the sick. And as to visit- 
ing, he should appropriate certain portions of time, and con- 
scientiously perform what appertains to that time. His 
calls ought to be very short, except in special cases. It is 
poor economy for a man to exhaust his strength in talking 
to one at a time, when he has an opportunity of saying the 
same thins: to hundreds or thousands/'' 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



425 



The next letter is upon a subject which always lay near 
his heart, and in regard to which he had some special facili- 
ties for forming a judgment. 

DR. ALEXANDER TO THE REV. WILLIAM S. PLU1TER. 

{ 'Prixceto>-, June 10, 1830. 

"Rev. and Dear Sir : — 

"Your letter came to hand just as our examination had 
commenced, which prevented an immediate answer, and 
ever since I have been in Philadelphia, or away from home 
in some other place. The subject on which you ask advice 
is both delicate and difficult ; and for one so far off, it is 
impossible to judge correctly on the course most proper to be 
pursued by a person situated as you are. It seems to me, 
however, that when Providence has cast the lot of one of his 
servants in the country of slavery, he ought not to abandon 
it on account of prospective evils, the existence of which is 
only conjectural ; or, if certain, which would not be greater 
than evils of another kind, which must be encountered, let a 
man go where he will. It is now becoming; more and more 
a subject of consideration with our zealous young men here 
whether duty does not call some of them to make every 
sacrifice of personal comfort, and to devote themselves to 
the instruction of the slaves. Surely they ought not to be 
abandoned to ignorance and vice, without an effort to rescue 
them from ruin ; but if ministers will flee from their work 
in the southern States, simply because of the existence of 
slavery, how can it be hoped that others, knowing such facts, 
will venture into such regions ? My opinion, therefore, is, 



426 



INSTRUCTION OF SLAVES. 



that as you have formed a permanent connection in that 
country, and have become a slaveholder, you ought to re- 
main, and endeavour by all lawful means to extend the 
blessing of salvation to that degraded people. And if you 
wish for my opinion as to how you may best promote the 
welfare of those whom Providence has committed to your 
care, and for w T hom you must give account, I would say, 
that you can best promote their happiness by keeping them 
in your possession, and instructing them in the Christian 
religion. No one can prevent your instructing them in the 
great truths of religion ; and even if the laws should become 
so rigid as to forbid their being taught to read, this will 
render the use of oral instruction far more important. And 
all experience teaches me, that the living voice is the proper 
medium of instructing the ignorant. Those persons who 
learn to read imperfectly derive very little benefit from the 
art ; a few sentences, pronounced viva voce, sink more 
deeply into their hearts than many pages spelled over *vith 
great difficulty. 

" As to bringing the unhappy creatures to the northern 
States, it has been demonstrated by experience that it is, in 
general, ruinous. — My advice then is, that you remain at 
B., if the people wish it, and lay yourself out to do all the 
good you can to black and white ; and if you cannot operate 
in one way, you will be able to do good in another. Ke- 
member, however, that 'the husbandman hath long pa- 
tience/ after he has sowed the seed. Do not expect to 
effect much by storm, but understand that moral improve- 
ment is always gradual, and very commonly imperceptible 



INSTRUCTION OF SLAVES. 



427 



from day to day. Labour assiduously, and trust in G-od for 
the fruit, although every body around should be lamenting 
that nothing is done. It is too much the error of the day, 
and especially of the South, to aim at unnecessary excite- 
ment ; to push things to an extreme from which they must 
speedily return ; and then, like an elastic cord, will spring 
nearly as far beyond the mark on the opposite side. Ob- 
serve, I do not say it is unlawful to leave the South, in any 
circumstances. I only mean to say that the reasons which 
you mention are not the ones which should induce you to 
take that step. If Providence needs you more elsewhere 
the door will be set wide open, and your call clear. As to 
place, when duty calls you will find the right one. Beware 
of discouragement. It cuts the nerves of effort — of steady 
persevering effort — completely. The news from the General 
Assembly you will receive from others ; and I have nothing 
interesting to communicate from this place. It is now vaca- 
tion, and we are for a while in solitude. 

" Yours affectionately, 

"A. A." 

DR. ALEXANDER TO THE SAME. 

" Peixcetox, July 1, 1834. 

hC Dear Sir :— 

" I have received your two letters, which came to hand 
the same day, one dated May 27, the other June 10. In 
regard to historical facts I will keep the subject in mind, 
and set down such fragments of knowledge as I have. Dates 
will be defective ; but facts may be of use without precise 
dates. 



428 



INSTRUCTION OF SLAVES. 



"As to the instruction of the coloured people, as the 
blacks are called in this country, I know nothing of impor- 
tance. The Key. John Mines, some years since, prepared a 
catechism for their instruction, which I revised in manu- 
script. It was printed, but never came into use. It was 
intended to be used by the catechist in the instruction of 
such as were unable to read. Dr. Palmer, of Charleston, 
published one somewhat similar, accompanied with prayers, 
a copy of which I have. Some years ago, I delivered a has- 
tily written discourse to the Society for promoting religion 
among the Coloured Population. That discourse is some- 
where among my papers ; what it contains I know not ; but 
if you wish to have it, I will look it up and send it to you. 

" The early Presbyterian ministers in Old Virginia were 
far more attentive to the instruction of the blacks than their 
immediate successors. I have had under my pastoral care a 
number of Mr. Davies' s converts, particularly "Will and Ned, 
brothers, who belonged to Col. Thomas Eead of Charlotte, 
and were eminent for piety. Both were natives of Africa. 
They were brought over when bovs, and were taught to read 
by Mr. Davies, or some one under his direction. Will ad- 
hered to the Presbyterian Church while I remained in Vir- 
ginia, but Ned went over to the Baptists and became a 
preacher. They were both very aged when I last saw them. 
Old Harry, who belonged to Ben Allen, in Cumberland, was 
one of the most fervently devout men I ever met with. He 
also could read, and had a Bible which had been given him 
by Mr. Davies ; but having come to the country after he 
was grown to be a man, he spoke our language in so broken 



PREACHING TO SLATES. 



429 



a manner that I could not understand ranch of what he said ; 
but his soul appeared to be all on fire with love to Jesus 
Christ. One of the most fervent spirits I ever knew was old 
Molly, who once belonged to Dr. J ohn Blair Smith. At public 
worship she could not restrain the expression of her feelings, 
As her noise disturbed the congregation, he expostulated 
much with her, but all in vain. "When I lived at Hampden 
Sidney, she belonged, I think, to Martin Sadler. 

" The Presbyterian preacher who laboured more than 
any other among the blacks, and with more success, was the 
Eev. Eobert Henry, of Charlotte. He was the pastor of 
Cub Creek and Briery, and was a very singular man. Though 
a graduate of Nassau Hall, he was a rough, uncultivated 
Scotchman, who so blundered in preaching that he often 
placed himself in a very awkward attitude. Old Father 
Patillo, upon being asked in my presence about Eobert 
Henry, said, 'He had as much grace as would serve two 
men, but not half enough for himself/ He delighted in 
preaching to the negroes, and as the fruit of his labours, had 
nearly a hundred communicants at Cub Creek alone. When 
I commenced my ministry there, the number was above sev- 
enty. Twenty-five communicants, and several of them dis- 
tinguished for piety, belonged to Mrs. Coles, on Staunton 
River ; and this lady, the mother of Mrs. [Paul] Carrington, 
of Sylvan Hill, though not a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, testified to the good effects of religion upon her ser- 
vants. Almost all her house-servants were members of the 
Church, and one man was constituted by the session an over- 
seer of the coloured communicants. It was a lovely sight to 



430 



PREACHING TO SLAVES. 



see these seventy blacks surrounding the table of the Lord. 
I see the pious and humble labours of this servant of God 
are now likely to be overlooked and forgotten. The trumpets 
for sounding the praises of men were not used in his day. 
The existence of this body of black communicants, and the 
great number of other blacks who attended at Cub Creek, 
induced Dr. [John H.] Eice, when a pastor of this church, 
to apply for a commission to labour for a part of his time 
among them. 

" Old Mr. Mitchell, if his memory is not gone, can fur- 
nish you with facts which no living man beside can. He can 
tell you of the labours of his father-in-law, the Eev. David 
Eice, and of his colleague the Eev. James Turner, both of 
whom, I think, preached often to the blacks. — [In later 
times] I know it to be a fact that multitudes would walk 
ten miles to hear a black man who could not read a word, 
[in preference] to going to hear the best sermons within a 
few miles. And when we made appointments to preach to 
them alone, which was often done, their habit of indulging 
their feelings, by shouting, and their desire to have such feel- 
ings roused, presented an effectual bar to regular instruction. 
This they thought was religion, and the way to glorify God. 
Still much more might have been done [by later ministers.] 
When I left the State, upon a retrospect of my ministry, I 
deeply regretted that I had not laboured more for the in- 
struction of these people ; and I wrote to my friend, the 
Eev. Matthew Lyle, an earnest exhortation to attempt more 
in this way. — We had no difficulty from the government, 
when I resided in Virginia ; but events occurred soon after, 



FOREIGN MISSIONS. 



431 



which induced the legislature to enact stricter laws, and 
which caused the people to be more jealous. In the Valley, 
when I was a boy, the number of blacks was very small. A 
few wealthy families only possessed slaves. Ministers there 
had therefore little to do with this subject. 

" I remain, respectfully and affectionately, yours, &c, 

" A. A." 

The scheme of Foreign Missions under the care of the 
Presbyterian Church originated in the West, and became a 
fruitful cause of contention in the General Assembly. The 
work which is now performed by our Board of Foreign Mis- 
sions was begun by the Western Missionary Society. While 
many continued to harbour doubts, Dr. Alexander fully be- 
lieved that such enlarged operations as we have since seen 
realized, were justly to be expected. He therefore wrote 
to a confidential friend, concerning the Church enterprise : 
" The reason for encouraging its institution, in most con- 
cerned, was to bring out resources from parts of the Church 
which were perfectly dormant. Thus far, it has succeeded 
beyond expectation. The Philadelphia Synod will be the prin- 
cipal dependence on this side of the mountains.— New- York 
city furnishes the richest field for all pecuniary operations."* 
He was always a zealous advocate for the work of For- 
eign Missions, and was accustomed to indulge liberal and 
sanguine expectations at times when many good men were 
ready to be appalled. His interest in the work was aug- 
mented and enlightened by " that minute and unapproach- 
1 able topographical knowledge" (we use the words of the Eev. 

* Letter to the Rev. Henry R. Weed, March 9. 1885. 



432 



INTEREST IN MISSIONS. 



Dr. Davidson), u which no other man possessed, and of which 
nothing in print, or to be put in print, can give an adequate 
idea/' He followed with anxious inquiry those students who 
became foreign missionaries, and maintained a lively inter- 
course with some of them. His correspondence with Mr. 
Whiting of the Syrian Mission, and Dr. Armstrong of the 
Sandwich Islands, would add to the value of our work, if it 
could be recovered. At the monthly prayer-meetings held 
in the Seminary for the spread of the Gospel, he often 
poured out his stores of information on these subjects ; and 
for a time he delivered a series of weekly lectures, in the 
evening, in the chapel of the Institution. 

We shall next make copious extracts from a communi- 
cation on a subject of great delicacy and importance ; it is 
that of supposed early conversions : 

" I was not aware/' he writes to a friend, " until your 
letter put me on the inquiry, how barren my memory is of 
facts concerning early piety ; I mean such as have fallen 
under my own observation. In books, you can find many 
cases, but — strange as it may seem, and it is as discouraging 
as strange — I cannot remember one solitary instance of de- 
cided piety in childhood, where the child lived to adult age 
to prove the genuineness of the change. And I do not here 
confine myself to the earliest stages of childhood, but include 
the whole period under twelve years of age. I will correct 
what I have said, by mentioning a case which just now oc- 
curs to my memory. The Eev. Mr. Eobinson, pastor of the 
Cove, Albemarle, Va., had a little son, who at the age of six 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



433 



or seven years gave evidence of experimental religion. I 
never conversed with the child, but heard of him from many, 
and was well acquainted with his father, who on one occasion 
took the child over the mountain to the Synod, with the view 
of conversing with the ministers, that he might receive ad- 
vice about admitting him to the Lord's table. On some 
account, I was not at that meeting, but heard of the fact 
from those who were there. Whether he was then admitted, 
I cannot be sure ; but if not, it was soon afterwards. This 
young man you must have known when you lived in Lex- 
ington. I think he was graduated at Washington College. 
He died of a fever, at the Union Seminary, soon after he 
was licensed, and I have understood always gave good evi- 
dence of piety, living and dying. 

" I have, however, seen many beautiful and hopeful blos- 
soms, which were never followed by mature fruit. A. B. 
was the daughter of an excellent man in Berkeley (now Jef- 
ferson) County, and the granddaughter of one still more 
eminent for piety — one of the fruits of the ministry of c One- 
eyed Bobinson/ the first apostle of Virginia, though now 
remembered there no longer. This little girl, in 1791, was 
about eight years of age. She was intelligent, grave, modest, 
very conscientious, loved to hear sermons, was ready to con- 
verse on religion, and seemed to have a warm affection 
towards Christian people. I was much at the house, as I 
made it one of my homes, the first winter after being 
licensed. I never saw any thing in this child but what 
was indicative of pure and elevated piety. She was almost 
entirely exempt even from childish levity, and, as her 



434 



EARLY CONVERSIONS. 



mother told me, was consistent in private devotion. I did 
not entertain a doubt of her being a regenerated person. 
But, as I have been informed, for I saw her no more, as she 
grew up all her religious feelings wore off, and she became as 
gay and careless as other young ladies of her own age. 
Whether she is now living, or what was the course of her 
after life, I know not. 

" 0. D., a boy of thirteen or fourteen, attracted universal 
notice by the apparent fervency of his pious feelings. His 
prayers in public havo melted large congregations into tears, 
and none doubted the genuineness of his piety. But when 
exposed to the company of irreligious companions at college, 
he became entirely careless ; and if not skeptical, has lived 
afar from God until this day, though a man of talents and 
character, and high standing in the world. He was of my 
own age, and when I was careless, he faithfully and tenderly 
addressed me on the subject of religion, and not without 
some present effect. He said to me then, however, 'The 
pious are deceived about me ; I have never experienced a 
saving change, and I have withdrawn from the Lord's table/ 
Some years afterwards, I met him, in company with some of 
the profanest young men I ever saw ; though out of his 
mouth I never heard a profane expression. I felt that I 
owed him a debt, and having then more zeal than now, I 
waited for an opportunity to speak with him. He candidly 
confessed, that all his religious impressions were gone ; that 
his views of religion were greatly changed, and that when 
he was the subject of these, he was misled by a set of 
enthusiastic preachers, in whose opinions he now had no 
confidence. 



CASES OF RELAPSE, 



435 



" E. F. was another, who about the same age gave pleas- 
ing evidence of having received a new heart. Old Christiana 
would smile and weep when they heard him converse or pray. 
It was a revival season, and he was much noticed and ca- 
ressed, and after a while evidently became vain. He fell in 
love also with a lady much older than himself, and appeared 
like one almost distracted. He turned from religion some- 
what suddenly,, and became one of the most profane men in 
the land. His after history is unknown to me. 

" Gr. H. was an obscure apprentice to a tanner. He was 
seen attending prayer-meetings, and one wet evening, when 
the good simple old man who conducted the meeting found 
none to aid him in the prayers, he asked this boy if he would 
not pray. The youth consented, and the people who were 
present reported that no minister could make a better 
prayer. He was thenceforward called out, upon all occasions. 
Even in church, the minister after sermon would call on Gr. 
H. to pray, and all wondered how this boy, who had nothing 
but the most common education in the world, could excel 
the most learned and eloquent ministers in prayer ; and some 
good people would rather hear Gr. H. pray, than listen to the 
best sermon. After some time, however, there was a mani- 
fest change. The style of his prayers became more artificial 
and elaborate, and there was an observable straining after 
striking expressions. But it was resolved that he should be 
a preacher. — Grod had determined otherwise ; for though he 
was sent to school and afterwards to college, the Presbytery 
would not receive him when he offered himself as a candi- 
date ; his vanity and arrogance had become so manifest and 



436 



EARLY IMPRESSIONS. 



insupportable. He was mortified and grievously offended, 
and immediately engaged in the study of the law. His 
course was downward, and his end hopeless. Man looketh 
on the outward appearance, but God judgeth the heart. 
Gifts are no sign of grace. 

"My old teacher, the Key. William Graham, had no 
confidence in any appearances of early piety. He said they 
were seldom permanent. But read the account of Mrs. Ed- 
wards, wife of President Edwards. Did any one ever give 
better evidence of religion pure and undefiled ? Look at a 
great many other cases, in Janeway^s Token for Children, 
&c. I have taken up an opinion, that all religious impres- 
sions made by truth are salutary, even if conversion does not 
immediately follow. The fruits in a revival are commonly 
from seed sown long before. This in the spiritual world is 
precisely analogous to the harvest in the natural world. But 
to the query, what ought to be done. God has promised to 
ordain strength out of the mouths of babes and sucklings. 
It is unbelief to deny that the grace of God can reach chil- 
dren. Why so few are converted in that age, we do not 
know. Old Dr. Hopkins believed and taught, that God has 
conditionally promised the salvation of baptized children, to 
parents in the baptismal covenant. (See his system of Di- 
vinity.) But even if this were true, it does not follow that 
they shall all be brought in while children. Mr. Richard 
Baxter, in his Dispute with Tombes, says that the time will 
probably come, when there will be but few conversions within 
the pale of the church by the public preaching of the Word, 
as children will be pious under parental culture, before they 



KOBERT MAY. 



437 



can attend with profit on the ministry of the Word. Do 
yon ask what should be done for children ? Persuade parents 
to do their duty ; to bring them up in the nurture and ad- 
monition of the Lord. But I have a favourite notion, that 
this is a rich uncultivated missionaiy field. There should 
be a class of preachers for children alone. If I were a 
young man, I would, Grod willing, choose that field. Twen- 
ty-five years ago, a little man by the name of Robert May, 
came to Philadelphia, from the London Missionary Society, 
on his way to Hindostan ; for the European war rendered it 
safest to come here and go in an American vessel. He and 
his wife were I think the most diminutive couple I ever saw 
matched, and they were childlike in their feelings of vivacity 
and versatility. Mr. May never entered a house without 
inquiring for the children ; and his manners were so puerile 
and affectionate, that they would soon cluster around him, 
and clamber on his knee, or cling to his skirts. In fact he 
conversed very little with grown people. He was not in his 
element with such, while with children he was all alive, full 
of anecdote and pleasantry ; but every story had a good end, 
and the winding up would make them feel serious and often 
weep after all their mirth. On Saturday afternoon, when 
the schools were not in session, he would preach or lecture 
to them, and sometimes a thousand would attend. A small 
volume of these lectures was printed. This dear little man 
remained several months in Philadelphia, before he met with 
a passage. In India, at a place called Chinsurah [in Bengal, 
eighteen miles north of Calcutta], he commenced his opera- 
tions among heathen children ; and when he was called 



438 



PREACHERS TO CHILDREN. 



home, which was about three years after his arrival there, he 
had twenty-five schools under his care. Look into the Ee- 
ports of the London Missionary Society, or the Evangelical 
Magazine, for some account of him. 

" Our common preaching does the children no manner of 
good. I am doubtful whether the custom of taking and 
confining them during the service is not injurious. But 
pass this ; sermons suited to children can be preached. I 
have tried it over and over, and I never had an audience 
more attentive, or who better understood my meaning. I 
often go now, and deliver addresses to them at Sunday-school 
anniversaries ; and to keep up and enliven attention I com- 
monly stop and ask them questions, which I expect them to 
answer. They seldom refuse to speak, and their answers 
give opportunity for further explanation. I delight in such 
discourses, and if I had health and leisure would have one 
every week. Perhaps I shall, as it is. But I am constrained 
to remark, that the talent of preaching to children is of all 
other preaching talents the most rare. A brother who has 
better preaching talents than myself, and more piety, when 
he speaks to the children reads them a discourse from a 
paper, so composed as to be fit for the press ; but while it is 
in the course of delivery, almost every one is vacant or wan- 
dering. I. J. K. has a great love for children, and has 
devoted himself to the Sunday-School cause, and thinks he 
has the talent of addressing them. I went to hear him, 
and of all the affected, vulgar, quaint, ill-adapted discourses, 
this exceeded. The more sensible children laughed in his 
face. L. M., once a student here, often undertook to address 



"OR. LIVINGSTON. 



439 



children. His method was to entertain them with figurative 
and exaggerated stories. Sometimes he terrified the little 
urchins almost into fits. One of my children was present at 
his meeting when a thunder storm of some violence arose ; 
to increase the terror he blew out the candles and intimated 
that perhaps the day of judgment was come. Another dear 
old brother screams at the top of an astounding voice, and 
they gaze in stupid wonder. Too much noise drives away 
thought. No man can have any variety of ideas, nor any 
connected train, beneath the deafening roar of a cataract, 
I thought at first that the sea shore would be an excellent 
place for meditation ; but the ocean-war drove away every 
thing but the one uniform sombre emotion. You perceive 
by my egotism and digressions that I am growing old." * 

The letters just cited illustrate a disposition of Dr. 
Alexander to draw largely on his own early observation, and 
this was still more strikingly exemplified in his ordinary dis- 
course. The same will appear in a paragraph which we 
refer to this period, and which undoubtedly refers to the late 
Dr. Livingston, of New Brunswick, for whom he entertained 
an unusual veneration. 

" Another divine, who belonged to a different denomina- 
tion, and left the world a few years ago, seemed to me to be 
eminent in piety. Eeligion appeared uppermost in his mind 
at home and abroad. I believe he was seldom in company 
with any one without saying something about the worth of 
the soul, or the excellencies of the Saviour. When he en- 
tered any house, he seldom sat many minutes without intro- 
ducing some discourse respecting divine things, and this not 

* Lo.fcter to the Rev. William S. Phi ii. v. Febm rv 2tf, 1S: J »4 



440 



DR. LIVINGSTON. 



in a stiff formal manner, but affectionately and earnestly. 
He was fond of conversing on experimental religion, and 
freely communicated many interesting particulars concerning 
the exercises of his own rnind, and the various trials and 
conflicts which he had experienced in his religious progress. 
He mentioned, that when a young man he had long laboured 
under distress of mind, which was not removed until he 
heard Whitefield preach ; when a single text repeated by the 
speaker seemed directed to him individually, and all his 
darkness was removed. He had much confidence in the 
powerful application of particular texts or promises to the 
mind ; believing that the Spirit directed them to the heart, 
for the relief of distressed souls. He mentioned a particular 
verse, which had been thus remarkably brought to his mind 
in answer to prayer for some brighter manifestation of God's 
favour. 

" On a particular occasion I had occasion to observe how 
he seized every opportunity, at public houses, to say some- 
thing which might leave a good impression. The keeper of 
the inn himself attended at dinner, and my venerable friend 
began a story, addressing himself to me. The man presently 
went out ; he paused in his narrative, and as I was surprised 
at his breaking off so abruptly, he said to me in a low voice, 
6 1 commenced this story with a view of benefiting our host ; 
wait till he comes in ; ' and then resumed it. At another 
place where we stopped, when about to depart, he took the 
owner of the house to one side and gave him a pointed and 
powerful exhortation. Wherever he was, he made all know 



DEATH OF EAKLY FRIENDS. 



441 



that there was one in company who feared God, and who was 
neither afraid nor ashamed to acknowledge his dependence 
on him. On crowded steamboats ; he would always publicly 
ask a blessing at meals. His appearance favoured this, being 
truly venerable. He was a man of large fraine, and wore a 
flowing white wig. His heart seemed to be always overflow- 
ing with kind affections. Most of the middle-aged ministers 
of the Reformed Dutch Church studied under his direction, 
and revere his memory/' 

Among other tokens of advancing life, Dr. Alexandej 
was warned by the removal of several early friends, who were 
called away during the years to which this chapter refers. 
His friend and kinsman, the Eev. Matthew Lyle, had been 
called away in 1827. We have already recorded the death 
of Dr. John H. Rice, for whom he entertained as warm a 
regard as for any man living. He was not only a great man, 
but a man of great affections. A little domestic instance 
will place his friendship for Dr. Alexander in a strong light. 
Soon after the removal of the latter to the north, Mr. Rice 
wrote to him thus : " And here let me make a request of 
you, which I have often thought of making before. I do it 
seriously, and in the spirit of a friendship which I am assured 
will last while life lasts. If it should please the All-wise 
Disposer of events to remove you from your family before 
they are educated and settled in the world, and I should be 
spared, it is my most earnest wish that you would leave to 
me that one of your children to whom you may judge that 
it would be most advantageous. He shall in such case be 
to me a child, and I to him as a father. I hope that you 



442 



DEATH OF EARLY FRIENDS 



will excuse me for making such a request, and that it may 
not be forgotten/'*-' And after ,he lapse of twenty years, he 
resumes the subject : " I owe you more than I do any other 
man in existence. It is not in my power to do any thing for 
you personally ; but should the Sovereign of the universe be 
pleased to order that I should survive you, it may be in my 
power to act the part of an efficient friend to some of your 
children."f In 1836, the Kev. Conrad Speece, D. D., an- 
other companion of his youth, already named in these pages, 
was suddenly taken to his rest. These and similar events 
had an obvious effect upon the tivmper of his mind ; not in 
the way of gloom, but as producing an elevated solemnity 
and. habitual expectation of the time when his own change 
should come. Yet he urged forward all his pursuits with 
unabated vigour, and rejoiced to see others rising up to vin- 
dicate the truth which he loved. That some of these per- 
sons belonged to other denominations, did not seem to di- 
minish his regard for them. When in 1839, Dr. Nettleton 
spent some time in Princeton, Dr. Alexander found much 
satisfaction in observing the coincidence of their views on 
the great and contested points of evangelical theology. And 
in the same year, when the accomplished and pious J oseph 
John Grurney exercised his public gifts among us, he took 
equal pleasure in the remarkable approaches which this good 
Quaker made to the doctrines of sound faith. At the age 
of sixly-seven, no feeling of religious warmth manifested any 
abatement. 

We suppose that no one was ever long conversant with 

* July 15, 1810. f July 21, 1830 



TOPOGRAPHICAL FACULTY. 



443 



Dr. Alexander, without being astonished at his turn for the 
particulars of localities, and his topographical knowledge. 
In the estimate of those who knew him most closely, this 
was by far the most remarkable of his endowments. It was 
doubtless fostered by his living in boyhood in a wild coun- 
try, and by the continual and often ' solitary journeys of his 
early manhood. However much he might seem to be other- 
wise employed, his eye was always directed to the surface of 
the country and its natural configuration. To have travelled 
a road once was to know it, with all its landmarks for the 
whole of his life. Wherever he had wandered, he knew 
the direction of all the streams, their rise and flow, the 
chains of hills or mountains, the nature of soils, timber 
and crops, and the ridges which mark and divide the water- 
systems. And he had the faculty of extracting the same 
sort of information from travellers and others coming from 
regions which he had not visited. It was a standard topic 
of merriment with him to banter his children upon their 
occasional blunders in determining the species of a forest tree. 
As he began his eager inquiries on these subjects when our 
States were few in number, he was able to add to his know- 
ledge as new countries were settled ; so that we suppose 
there was no man living whose acquaintance with the geog- 
raphy and topography of America was more extensive or 
exact. In times when private modes of travel were common, 
we have known him to draw plans of journeys, extending 
through several hundred miles, for missionaries leaving home, 
with a note of distances and a specification of every night's 
sojourn ; without the consultation of book or map. This 



444 



KNOWLEDGE OF CHURCHES. 



knowledge reached also, far beyond what is common, to for- 
eign countries, and was perpetually increasing by his study of 
every thing new in the shape of voyages and travels. For 
the same reason he took a lively interest in all that belongs 
to the natural delineation of the earth, and in his later years 
perused with much zest the works of Mrs. Somerville and 
Professor Gruyot on Physical Geography. 

As connected with what has just been mentioned, and in 
some degree falling under the same faculty, we may note his 
acquaintance with all the churches and pastors of our Pres- 
byterian connection. If we did not know that hundreds 
now living can bear witness to what we say, we should be led 
to modify the strength of the statement which we are about 
to make. The who]e territory of the Church was so mapped 
out in his head, that it is scarcely too much to affirm that 
he knew who was the pastor of every Presbyterian Church 
in the United States. Notices in journals and elsewhere, 
which made little impression on others, seized his attention, 
and seemed to fall into the right places and fill up the proper 
blanks. In most cases he knew also the whole line of incum- 
bents from the beginning. This knowledge extended quite 
largely to other branches of the Church. As his pupils from 
year to year spread themselves over the country, he followed 
them in their wanderings, and particularly kept his eye upon 
those who went to foreign lands. There was not a mission- 
ary, of either our own Church or the American Board, with 
whose locality he was not perfectly familiar. 



CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH. 



1840—1851. 

DECLINING YEARS- — UNABATED STRENGTH OF MIND — CORRESPONDENCE RE- 
SPECTING DEATH STUDIES — EXTRAORDINARY LABOURS IN "WRITING 

DOCTOR JOHN BRECKINRIDGE — SLAVES AND SLAVERY — YISIT TO VIRGINIA 
— LOSS OF FRIENDS — PUBLICATIONS — ACTIVITY AND HAPPINESS OF HIS 
OLD AGE. 

FROM part of his public duty he was now to be relieved, 
* in consequence of the resolution of the General Assem- 
bly of 1840, that Dr. Hodge should be made Professor of 
Exegetical and Didactic Theology, and that his own title 
should hereafter be Professor of Pastoral and Polemic 
Theology. The closing period of his life occupies somewhat 
more than ten years, and begins about his sixty-ninth year. 
When we speak of him however as declining, the word must 
be received as applicable rather to body than to mind. No 
one could perceive any abatement of his intellectual vigour, 
and in regard to professional and literary labour he never 
was more abundant. His was in the highest sense a happy 



446 



DECLINING YEARS. 



old age ; and the remembrance of it fills his surviving friends 
with satisfaction and thankfulness. 

He had lived to see the institution to which his life had 
been devoted, not merely established; but at its very highest 
prosperity ; and during these years the number of students 
attained its maximum. In every part of the country, and 
in the missions of other lands, were men of piety and dis- 
tinction, who looked back with affectionate veneration to his 
paternal care. 

As the horizon of his view was thus extended, he seemed 
to glow with a larger benevolence, and at no time manifested 
more lively interest in every new proposal for the spread of 
the Redeemer's kingdom, than now when he felt that his 
days on earth were numbered. It was a common observa- 
tion concerning him, that while his judgment was cool and 
his policy conservative, he never rejected any scheme because 
it was novel ; and no man was more sanguine in hope than 
he, with regard to great enterprises from which even younger 
persons were disposed to recoil. Yet he was not slow to 
recognise the tokens of decaying nature, and to draw from 
them appropriate reflections. In 1840, he thus begins a 
letter. " This day, forty-nine years ago, I was licensed to 
preach. Ton may know from this that I am growing old, 
and of course approaching the end of my pilgrimage. My 
health, however, is as firm as it has been for years ; only I 
am still distressed with weakness of nerves. Dr. Miller has 
had several attacks of low fever this year, but is now restored 
to his usual health. My family have been blessed with un- 



VIEWS OF THE FUTURE. 



447 



interrupted health for more than a year, so that we have not 
once had to call in a physician. For this we desire to be 
humbly thankful to Him 6 who forgiveth all our iniquities, 
and healeth all our diseases/ " * And some months after 
this, to his elder sister : " For some time I entertained a 
thought of visiting my friends in Virginia this summer ; but 
after reflecting seriously on my age, and on the expense of 
the journey, on the small benefit that would accrue, and the 
important duties which require my attention, I came to the 
conclusion that it was rather my duty to stay than to go. 
Whether I shall ever see you and my other friends again, is 
uncertain, but it is a matter of little consequence. If we 
can only so live and act as to have an entrance administered 
to us into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
it will not be long before we shall meet where parting is no 
more. Our contemporaries are fast dropping off, and indeed 
very few of our early acquaintances are now left. The death 
of Dr. Baxter was a solemn admonition to me. We were in 
the same office, and nearly of the same age, and his consti- 
tution seemed much more robust than mine ; but he is taken 
and I am left/' f 

The same year deprived him of a younger friend, the 
Eev. John Breckinridge, D. D., once his pupil, and for a 
time his colleague ; a man whom he respected for his talents, 
eloquence and chivalrous bearing, and loved for his affection- 

* Letter to the Rev. Henry R. Weed, D. D., October 1, 1840, 

f Letter to Mrs. Graham, May 31, 1841. 



448 



DR. BRECKINRIDGE. 



ate converse and ardent piety. It was often remarked by 
the household, that no one had the faculty of drawing forth 
his powers in animated conversation, so fully as this warm 
and brilliant friend. And though Dr. Breckinridge was emi- 
nently remote from any thing like undignified levity, he knew 
so well how to present that side of any subject which was en- 
tertaining, that his presence used to make itself known by 
the peals of genial laughter which would burst from the 
study. He was equally skilled to touch the chords of Chris- 
tian pathos. And we may be allowed to say, that the Church 
has seldom lost a man who more happily united devout ten- 
derness and philanthropic zeal with manly honour and high 
courage in his Master's cause. 

Though the difference in age was so great, Dr. Alexander 
looked on his junior colleague with high respect ; which is 
testified by the following sentences from his Introductory 
Lecture, next following the bereavement ; it is likely that 
much more was uttered by him : " On this occasion also it 
seems to be highly proper to make solemn mention of the 
decease of one of the most active, energetic and eloquent 
ministers of the Presbyterian Church, who had been not only 
a student but for some time a Professor in this Seminary. 
You will all understand me to speak of the late Doctor John 
Breckinridge, whose death, in the midst of his years, and in 
the midst of the most enlarged and flattering prospects of 
usefulness, is an event which should not be overlooked by the 
Church, nor cursorily passed over by this Seminary, to which 
he was ever an ardent and efficient friend. Few men filled 



SERMON AT RICHMOND. 



449 



a larger space in the view of the Church and the public, and 
few men could be taken from the earth who will be more 
missed. He was indeed c a burning and a shining light/ but 
we were permitted to rejoice in his light only for a short 
season. Our only solace under this affliction is, that it was 
the stroke of our Heavenly Father, who is infinitely wise 
and good ; and that our brother departed in the full assur- 
ance of faith and hope, and now rejoices in the presence of 
Him whom unseen he loved, and in whom he believed, which 
is far better than any pleasure to be enjoyed on earth. But 
let the memory of the devoted servants of the Lord, and of 
their work of faith and labour of love, be affectionately cher- 
ished by the Church." 

In the spring of 1842, Dr. Alexander made a flying visit 
to Eichmond, where he delivered a discourse which was pub- 
lished. The subject was, " The People of God led in un- 
known ways ; " from Isa. xiii. 16. On his return he writes to 
his sister : " My going to Richmond was a sudden thing, and 
I was obliged to come back immediately to fulfil appoint- 
ments made in the State of New- York. I therefore could 
not with any ease or comfort extend my visit to Rockbridge. 
During this vacation I have been almost constantly in mo- 
tion, and my health has generally been good ; they tell me 
every where that I have grown much more corpulent than I 
formerly was. My principal weakness is in the stomach and 
nerves ; and though diseases of this kind are not attended 
with immediate danger, they make us very miserable at 
times, and at last become incurable and end in lingering 



450 VISIT TO VIRGINIA. 

death. I have been appointed by the Board of Missions to 
visit, in company with a younger man, the western counties 
of New-York ; to ascertain the state of the churches there. 
But I am very doubtful whether a person of my age should 
undertake so long a journey, or whether any good is likely to 
arise from such a visit. — I am thankful that my life has 
been spared to see all my children educated. And now if I 
could see them all pious members of the church, I should be 
disposed to say, 'Now, Lord, let thy servant depart in 
peace/ " * 

Notwithstanding the adverse prognostics of this letter, 
he was permitted to revisit Virginia in the summer of 1843. 
On this occasion he delivered a discourse before the Alumni 
Association of Washington College, on the Commencement 
Day, June 29th. From the crowd of persons and the ex- 
treme heat, he was during the address seized with a faint- 
ness, which was alarming, and which made it necessary for 
him to be carried into the open air. No expostulations, 
however, could induce him to desist. He was especially de- 
sirous to say something in honour of his old teacher, Mr. 
Graham. He therefore returned and completed the delivery 
of the Address. Its last words were these: "Having now 
finished what I wished to communicate at this time, I must, 
my beloved friends, take a solemn and last farewell of you 
all ; expecting never again to see the faces of most of you 
in the flesh.. May Heaven's richest blessings attend you !" 

From the columns of a religious journal, published some 

* Letter to Mrs. Graham, July 5, 1842, 



LEXINGTON ADDKESS. 



451 



time after the event, we derive the following statement : "I 
shall never forget some circumstances connected with his 
last visit to Virginia. It was the summer of 1843. He 
came, as he told me when I met with him, reckoning upon 
it as his last visit to his native region. Dr. Alexander 
opened the Commencement exercises w T ith a short prayer. 
A generation long gone by seemed to be represented in 
him, and while he sat looking down upon the scene, and par- 
taking of the varying emotions that swayed the auditory, I 
could not but fancy what thoughts and feelings must have 
been passing through his mind, far out of the range of those 
that were present to the minds of others there, He had 
been one of the early students of Liberty Hall Academy, 
under its first rector, William Graham, a man of eminent 
talents and piety, who well deserves to be honoured as the 
father of learning in West Virginia, and who was the pre- 
ceptor likewise of Baxter, Speece, J. H. Eice, and other 
men of note, both in church and state. 

" In the afternoon the audience again filled the spacious 
building to hear Dr. Alexander, the most of them for the 
last time. The heat of the crowded house, and the effort of 
the occasion, coming after the fatigue and excitement of the 
morning, were too much for an aged man, like Dr. Alexan- 
der. He faltered in the midst of his discourse, grew pale, 
stopped and sank back into his seat, every heart in the vast 
assembly beating quick at such an interruption. In a few 
moments he rose, and renewed the effort ; but it would not 
do. It was not long before he gave way, and had to be car- 



452 



LEXINGTON ADDRESS. 



ried out of the house in his chair. I had listened in painful 
anxiety from the time that he had commenced again, and the 
feelings of the audience were now all absorbed in concern for 
him. Who could tell but that the cords of an aged and 
feeble life, too tensely stretched, might suddenly snap, and 
the scene wind up with a melancholy and thrilling event. 

"Friends gathered around him, and begged that he 
would leave off, suggesting that, with his consent, the ad- 
dress would be printed. He declared his intention of going 
on. It was then suggested that the rest should be read by 
some person for him. But no, he persisted strangely, and 
as it almost seemed, obstinately. What was the secret of his 
pertinacity ? He had an office to perform, he had a tribute 
to pay on that last occasion. And there, under the shadow 
of the old church, surrounded by the descendants of his 
own paternal family, and of his contemporaries, amidst the 
tombs of his own generation, and within a few yards of the 
graves of his own parents, he sat and read his tribute to 
Mr.- Graham — the audience clustering around him, and 
hanging with fixed and tearful attention on his closing 
words. He sketched the character of Graham, spoke of his 
services to the cause of learning and religion, and concluded 
with a few impressive remarks, in which he spoke of himself 
as the sole survivor of the whole number of officers and stu- 
dents, connected with Liberty Hall at the time of his en- 
trance, and for two or three years afterwards, and exhorted 
those about him, as one who never expected to see them 
again, to seek salvation through the infinite merits of a Re- 
deemer. 



JOURNEY HOMEWARD. 



453 



" The address has been printed. But it needs that one 
should have been present to feel the full impression of it, as 
delivered. ' 

" That face and form, that group, the old church, the 
churchyard with its monuments, all seen amid the length- 
ening shadows of declining day, formed a scene for a 
painter's pencil. It was a most striking and appropriate 
picture for the last page of such a man's pilgrimage to the 
place of his birth and of his fathers' graves. 

"N. L." 

Concerning this visit, his eldest brother, Andrew Alex- 
ander, Esq., thus wrote : " We have been very much grati- 
fied with the visit of your father. There were frequently 
present the three brothers and two sisters. It is not common 
for so many aged brothers and sisters to meet ; the youngest 
being sixty-seven years old. It is not at all probable that 
we shall ever again meet in this world." It is instructive to 
add, that at this present writing, only one of that venerable 
circle survives. 

On returning from this memorable visit, Dr. Alexander 
thus addresses his sister : " After an absence of sixty-four 
days, I returned home ; preserved from illness and all fatal 
accidents. But the day before I reached home I met with 
a slight disaster, which, if a kind Providence had not inter- 
posed, might have been very serious. For in going from 
Chambersburg to Carlisle, when in sight of Shippensburg, the 
car in which I was with many others, ran off the track into 
a ditch. The locomotive which did not leave the track broke 



454 



JOURNEY HOMEWARD. 



loose from the car by snapping the chain ; otherwise we 
should have been dragged along, overturned, and perhaps 
killed. Whereas we all escaped with very slight injury. I 
believe that I was more hurt than any other person, having 
been driven against the seat before me, by which I got a 
stroke on the leg, just below the knee. I felt it so little, 
however, that I walked nearly half a mile to Shippensburg, 
and then did not think it worth while to examine the place. 
But at Carlisle I found the leg much swelled, and the skin 
torn off. I had an appointment to preach in the evening, 
and though I was unfit for public service I found it neces- 
sary to go into the pulpit and make the effort. Next day I 
came all the way home, and have been ever since almost entire- 
ly confined to the house ; for by some means, I know not 
how, my ankle was sprained. But I am now nearly well of 
my bruises, and all the time have enjoyed excellent health. 
I found all well at home. — I have sent on my Alumni Dis- 
course to Dr. Buffner. I might as well have left it, for I 
had no opportunity of transcribing it, or doing any thing to 
it, except adding a few particulars respecting the Bev. 
William Graham. They must make the best of it. I have 
now very little literary ambition, and am therefore reckless 
as to what becomes of the address. — -Upon a retrospect of 
my late journey, I feel glad that I was persuaded to under- 
take it ; though I now feel that home is the best place for 
old people. Whether I shall live to take such another jour- 
ney, 1 certainly cannot tell ; but the probability is that my 
next journey will be to that land from whose bourne no 
traveller returns. The only preparation for death which can 



DEATH OF MRS. LEGRAND. 



455 



be effectual to give solace to the mind is a lively faith in 
Christ. If we confide implicitly in him we shall fear no 
evil. All before us is dark and unknown, but our Great 
Leader can conduct us safely over this Jordan. The valley 
looks gloomy, but the Shepherd's voice can cheer us while 
we pass through. Let us dismiss a timid, unbelieving spirit, 
and be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. 
We should not look into our own hearts for comfort, but di- 
rectly unto Christ. The more we trust in him, the more 
we honour him Nothing in us or about us is more dis- 
pleasing to him, than our fear or distrust of his power and 
grace. He seems to say, as to his disciples of old, £ Why are 
ye so fearful ? ' 6 Wherefore did ye doubt ? ' c Only believe ; 
all things are possible to him that believeth/ " 

It is in harmony with such remarks to add here, that 
during this and the following year, he was called to mourn 
over several dear friends. Mrs. Paulina Le Grand departed 
this life in 1843. No Christian woman in Virginia was more 
widely known. Having come out of a family circle of great 
wealth and extreme worldliness, during the great awakenings 
of which we have already had occasion to speak, she signal- 
ized a long life by a sincerity of Christian deportment which 
made her example noted. She was a lover of good men ; 
she entertained strangers ; she washed the saints' feet. Her 
home was open to all disciples of every name ; she not only 
sometimes entertained many families of her friends at once, 
but gave a welcome to the humblest wayfarer who needed 
shelter. For months and even years she gave a home to 
ministers of the Gospel. While her personal experience was 



456 



DEATH OF MRS. FORMAN. 



not joyful, she loved evangelical truth, and spared no pains 
to promote it. Having a masculine skill and generalship in 
the conduct of affairs, she extricated a large estate from em- 
barrassment, and was able to contribute largely to good ob- 
jects. Her courage was remarkable, and no instance was 
ever known in which she shrank from reproving sin, even in 
distinguished persons. For more than half a century she 
was the friend and correspondent of Dr. Alexander. Nearly 
about the same time died his elder brother, Andrew Alex- 
ander, Esq., of Lexington ; a man of probity, sagacity, and 
consistent life. After a brief interval, two beloved sisters 
were taken away, Mrs. Ann Turner, relict of the Eev. Wil- 
liam Turner, and Mrs. Martha Kice, wife of the Eev. Ben- 
jamin H. Eice, D. D. 

DR. ALEXANDER TO MRS. GRAHAM. 

" Princeton, Jan. 20, 1844. 

" Dear Sister : — 

"The occasions of our writing have of late been of a 
sorrowful kind. Your last contained an account of the de- 
cease of our dear sister Turner, who died in a strange land, 
but surrounded by kind friends, and supported by Christian 
hope and comfort. It has now become my painful duty to 
inform you and other friends of the death of Anne Forman, 
second daughter of our sister Martha Eice. You know that 
she was married to a young clergyman in Kentucky, who 
was settled in or near Versailles. She visited her parents 
last spring, and brought with her a little son, a year old, 
named Benjamin Eice. Though Anne had been delicate from 



DEATH OF MRS. RICE. 



457 



childhood^, her health appeared not only good, but robust, 
when she was here. But five or six weeks ago she was seized 
with some disease which affected her head and stomach, and 
on the 11th inst., gently departed this life, having given 
every evidence of being a sincere Christian. Her last words 
were, 6 1 wish to be a better Christian J ' from which it 
would seem that she was not aware of the nearness of her 
end. Her parents, as you may suppose, are much distressed ; 
but while they sorrow, it is not as those who have no hope ; 
and they will no doubt derive spiritual benefit from this 
heavy affliction." 

TO THE SAME. 

"Princeton, March 6, 1844. 

* 6 My Dear Sister : — 

" Your last letter conveyed to us the mournful intelli- 
gence of the death of our oldest brother ; and now it falls 
to my lot to inform you that our youngest sister, Martfta 
Eice, has also been taken away from us. She gave up her 
spirit into the hands of her Eedeemer about two o'clock this 
morning. About three weeks ago she was seized with a vio- 
lent chill, followed by a high fever. Three or four days ago 
her fever subsided, and we hoped that she might recover ; 
but a dreadful oppression of the lungs came on, owing to 
what cause is not known. This difficulty of breathing con- 
tinued to increase until she expired. With the fever, which 
the physicians call congestive, she had also an inflammation 
of the tonsils, which rendered it difficult for her to speak. 
Being confined to the house by a severe attack* of sore throat 

36 



458 



DEATH OF MRS. RICE. 



with fever, I was unable to see her before yesterday morn- 
ing. ^ I found her mind in a calm and comfortable state, in 
the midst of bodily pain and oppression. During her whole 
illness her understanding was undisturbed, and her faith was 
strong. The only doubt which she expressed to me was a 
fear lest her perfect peace of mind, devoid of every doubt 
and fear, might be the effect of her disease. But the fever 
had then left her, and the same peace and confidence con- 
tinued to the last ; for even when speechless, she understood 
every thing ; and when her husband asked her whether she 
could now say that God had given her victory over death, 
and requested her to signify it by raising her hand, she im- 
mediately did this, and soon after expired. Her loss will be 
greatly felt in the family. She will be greatly missed in the 
congregation, especially among the poor and afflicted. She 
was active in works of faith and labours of love. I could 
not bring myself to believe that this sickness would be unto 
death. I prayed often and earnestly that she might be re- 
stored to health and to her husband and children. But the 
will of God was otherwise. — I have seen Dr. Eice this morn- 
ing. He bears his bereavement like a Christian ; his feelings 
are very tender, but he bows with entire submission to this 
afflictive dispensation. — Thus our family, the members of 
which have been so long preserved in life, are now taken 
away in rapid succession. Out of eight, three have departed 
within less than six months ; and it cannot be long before 
the remaining five shall be summoned. may we all be 
ready ! And may we be enabled to meet death with as 



VIEWS OF DEATH. 



459 



little fear as those who have already died ! Farewell. God 
bless yon all ! 

" Tour affectionate brother, 

"A. A." 

TO THE SAME. 

"Princeton, May 13, 1845. 

" We have been preserved to a good old age, and as God 
has been so favourable to us thus far, we ought not to dis- 
trust him for the remaining part of our journey. We need 
not be troubled about the dissolution of these frail bodies. 
' Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return/ It is a 
way which all must travel once ; grace and strength for the 
day we must trust Him to grant, who hath said ; 6 1 will never 
leave thee, nor forsake thee/ If Christ be near to us in that 
hour when heart and flesh fail, we need fear no evil. He 
hath himself suffered all the bitter pains of death, and is 
therefore able to sympathize with those who walk through 
the gloomy valley. His people, who trust in him, are seldom 
left to darkness and discouragement in that last conflict. — 
As we shall in all probability never meet again in this world, 
may we have a joyful meeting in the world to come ! And 
while continued here beyond the time usually allotted to 
mortals, let us pray for each other daily, that we may be 
counted worthy, through the grace of the Lord Jesus, to 
inherit the kingdom prepared for the people of God, from 
the foundation of the world \" 



460 



VIEWS OF DEATH, 



TO THE SAME. 

"June 21, 1841 

" As to my own health, it is very good in the general ; 
though I have had several sudden and severe attacks of dis- 
ease, which seems to have its seat in the stomach. The crazy 
tabernacle must come down, and it matters little by what 
means this end is attained. The only wonder is that it 
should last so long. I have been trying of late to realize 
my nearness to the eternal world ; but though my judg- 
ment is fully convinced that I shall soon cease to be an in- 
habitant of this world, and be in an unchangeable state 
of happiness or misery, my feelings are not in accordance 
with my judgment. I cannot bring death near so as to ap- 
prehend the reality of the solemn circumstances in which I 
stand, on the breaking brink of eternity. But perhaps it is 
best that our minds should not be continually occupied with 
the thoughts of death. When I attempt to think distinctly 
of what my views and feelings shall be the moment after 
death, I feel lost in the obscurity of the subject. I seem to 
dread the awful surprise which will burst on the mind. But 
my only relief is that the Great Shepherd, who accompanies 
his sheep through the valley of the shadow of death, will be 
their guide afterwards, or will furnish them with a convoy 
of angels. We need not trouble ourselves about the par- 
ticular circumstances of our future state of existence, if only 
we are found among the number of Christ's sheep. For all 
his people he has provided suitable mansions in his Father's 
house. Some will occupy much higher places than others ; 



VIEWS OF DEATH. 



461 



but if we are admitted into the very lowest, it will be 
enough. 

" I have often resolved to begin to make special prepara- 
tion for an event so certain and so near ; but I find I can do 
nothing towards it by my own exertions. Dying grace is 
commonly reserved for a dying hour. The best preparation^ 
is, to be found watching and actively engaged in our Mas- 
ter's service. In thinking what will make death easy, it has 
occurred to me, that a lively faith is all that we need. To 
have an humble, confident trust in Christ, will bear us up, 
however the waves of Jordan may swell around us. Let us 
not torment ourselves with unnecessary fears and scruples. 
We must trust entirely to the mercy of God, and the merit 
of Christ ; and if we do so sincerely, we shall be safe. Every 
letter which I write to you, of late, I think will be the last ; 
for considering our advanced age, it is to be expected that 
one of us will soon be called away ; and it cannot be long 
before we shall meet in another, and I hope a better world/' 

m 

TO THE SAME. 

"Princeton, June 18, 1848. 

" Dear Sister : — 

" I am sorry to find by your letter that your health is 
not as good as usual ; but at our age we must expect to be 
subject to many and increasing infirmities, until death comes 
to release us from all the evils of our present condition. 
Though death is called the king of terrors, and the last ene- 
my, yet to the believer he is a conquered foe, or rather is 
converted into a friend. Therefore Paul, in giving an in- 



462 



VIEWS OF DEATH. 



ventory of the possessions of the Christian, places death 
among the number : 6 For all things are yours ; whether 
Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or life, or death, or things pres- 
ent, or things to come ; all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and 
Christ is God's/ And he says again, c For me to live is 
Christ, and to die is gain : ' having a desire to depart and be 
with Christ, f which is far better/ There is much sin in in- 
dulging unbelieving and unreasonable fears of death. We 
ought to place more confidence in the Captain of our salva- 
tion, who has promised never to leave nor forsake his people, 
and to be with them in the valley and shadow of death. 
How often do we see those who were subject to bondage all 
their lives, delivered from all fear when they are laid on their 
death beds. And thus, I trust, it will be with you. 6 J esus 
can make a dying bed feel soft as downy pillows are/ Be 
determined to trust in the Lord and fear no evil. He is a 
powerful, a loving, and a faithful Shepherd/' 

TO THE SAME. 

"Pkinceton, August T, 1849. 

" Deae Sister : — 

" Yours of the 3d inst. came to hand this morning. I 
am gratified to learn that your health continues so firm, at 
bo advanced an age. It is certainly a cause of great thank- 
fulness. What you say of your health during the past year 
is with some exception true in regard to myself. My gene- 
ral health was never so good since I was in the ministry, as 
for a few years past ; and I am more fleshy than in any 
former period. But in the last month I had a pretty vio- 



ACTIVE OLD AGE. 



463 



lent attack, which, if it had not been taken in time, might 
have ended in Cholera. In regard to this desolating pesti- 
lence, which is a heavy judgment on our land for the sins of 
the people, our town like yours has hitherto been exempt." 

Again in 1850, he writes : " My time must come soon. 
If I can only be ready, it matters not whether I pore over 
the inevitable event or not. Our departure will probably not 
be very far apart. May we meet in a happier world ! " * 
The last letter to this estimable sister, and indeed the latest 
date which has come to our hands, is of June 12, 1851, and 
closes a correspondence of at least fifty years. It is written 
in a fair and firm hand, and is filled with lively domestic de- 
tails. 

We have varied from chronological exactness, and omit- 
ted certain things, in order to give these letters and extracts 
in unbroken series. They evidently proceed from one who 
had learnt to look death in the face, and are from first to 
last a comment on the maxim, Disce mori. If we had no- 
thing else to judge by, we might suppose them to have been 
penned by one who had laid aside the entire business of life, 
and devoted his mind to the recluse contemplation of eter- 
nity. But so far was this from being the case, there was no 
time in his whole life in which he was more full of employ- 
ment, or set about it with higher zest. His sympathy with 
the world about him was uncommon. He had not ceased to 
take pleasure in the affairs of the Church or the intercourse 
of friends, and seemed bent on working to the last both pub- 
licly and privately. The prosperity of the institution was 

* Letter to Mrs. Graham, Jan. 30, 1850. 



464 



CONNECTION WITH PUBLIC BODIES. 



great. For part of the time the number of students was nearly 
one hundred and fifty. In 1843, the beautiful library build- 
ing, reared by the munificence of Mr. Lenox, was completed. 
Health prevailed in his own family, of whom five children out 
of seven now surrounded him. It was by far the most serene, 
if not the happiest portion of his life. It was in his view an 
addition to his comfort, that two of his sons were his col- 
leagues. The visit of a deputation from the Free Church of 
Scotland, in 1843-4, greatly awakened his feelings. The 
visit of the Eev. Dr. Cunningham in particular offered an 
occasion for long and interesting conference upon the state 
of the Church and the methods of theological education. 
Some of the enterprises to which he had adhered in their 
darker hour, such as the Foreign Missions of our Church, and 
the colonization of the Free Blacks, began to show signs of 
eminent success. In 1849, a benevolent Episcopalian of the 
South, in founding a seminary in Liberia, requested that it 
might be called the " Alexander High School ; " adding, " to 
him they are indebted ; for but for said article [proposing 
the plan] this donation would not have have been made, and 
I trust it will in due time grow into a college bearing the 
same name." * 

It is generally known that the various benevolent schemes 
of the Presbyterian Church are conducted by large commis- 
sions of clergymen and laymen, which are denominated 
Boards. These are elected from time to time by the General 
Assembly. Dr. Alexander was from their origin an impor- 
tant member of these bodies. Of the Standing Committee of 

* Quoted in a letter of Elliott Cresson to Dr. Alexander, April 20, 1849. 



PUBLIC BODIES. 



465 



Missions he was chosen a member in 1807 ; and continued 
in this and in the Board of Missions which grew out of it, 
until his death. As long as he remained in Philadelphia he 
met constantly with the Committee, and sometimes went 
from Princeton afterwards for the same purpose. He was a 
member of the Board of Education, from the beginning. We 
have elsewhere spoken of his interest in the Board of Foreign 
Missions. At the first meeting of the "Western Missionary 
Society, which preceded the Board, he was elected a Vice- 
President. In 1837 he was chosen a member of the Board, 
and remained such as long as he lived. " He was punctual,"' 
says the Hon. Walter Lowrie, "in his attendance at the 
meetings : and from his minute knowledge of ail its operations 
Avas a most useful and influential member. After the death 
of Dr. Miller, he was on the 6th of May, 1850, elected Pres- 
ident of the Board, and was such until the time of his 
death/' He was likewise President of the Board of Publica- 
tion from its origin, was constantly invited to their coun- 
sels, and prepared a number of their works. 

In addition to these strictly Presbyterian schemes, he 
was greatly interested in the American Sunday School 
Union, the American Bible Society, and the American 
Tract Society. For the first named he furnished several 
valuable publications. In regard to the Tract Society his 
affection and zeal never abated. For a time he was a mem- 
ber of their Publishing Committee ; he wrote some of their 
smaller publications, and was a frequent contributor to the 
American Messenger ; in which, it is behoved, his very last 
communication for the press appeared. One of the closing 



466 



WRITING IN OLD AGE. 



acts of his life was to give a sum to send one of their smail 
libraries to a destitute pastor. He was particularly solicit- 
ous to extend their circulation of volumes, and said, late in 
life : "I reflect on no part of my life with more satisfaction 
than any little agency I have had in encouraging and pro- 
moting the Society's volume circulation. I do consider the 
success of this enterprise as intimately connected with the 
prosperity of vital scriptural piety in our land ; not in any 
one church, but in all evangelical churches, and beyond them 
all, by conveying a sound and practical knowledge of the Gos- 
pel to multitudes who enjoy no public means of grace, or 
have not attended on them. If I could do any thing more 
to urge on this blessed work which has been so auspiciously 
commenced, I would cordially lend my aid." Again he says, 
under a later date : " The success of the volume circulation 
gladdens my heart every time I think of it ; and I sincerely 
wish that, instead of twenty volumes, you had a hundred in 
circulation." 

It is proper that we should add something of the lit 
erary labours of this period. He was accustomed to say 
that he wrote more than in any previous part of his life. 
Indeed it was his solace, and the pen was continually in his 
hand. This is the more surprising, as for some of his closing 
years, he scarcely made any use of one eye, and was frequent- 
ly threatened in the other. Yet when he was not hurried, 
his manuscript character was round, clear and bold ; though 
he never used desk or table, but held the paper before him, 
on a wide book or port- folio. 

His volume entitled " Thoughts on Religious Experience/ 1 



BEVIEWS. 



467 



already mentioned, appeared as a separate work in 1840. It 
contains the results of his matured thinking upon the inward 
work of grace, and has been extensively useful. No one of 
his writings more fully reveals his own opinions and feelings 
upon the rise and progress of godliness in the soul. The 
work was adopted by the Presbyterian Board of Publication, 
and in 1853 appeared in a German translation. 

In 1841, he reviewed the Works of Dr. Chalmers, for 
whom he cherished the greatest respect, but from whom he 
was constrained to differ on some points of metaphysical the- 
ology. Especially he objects, as McCosh has since done, to 
Chalmers's opinion, that morality can be ascribed to no feel- 
ing or emotion unless it be the consequence of volition, or 
somehow connected with volition/"* He also wrote, as he 
had often done before, on the " Religious Instruction of the 
Negroes." He likewise reviewed Dr. Hetherington's History 
of the Westminster Assembly. f He contributed a warm 
and instructive article in behalf of American Coloniza- 
tion, in which he reiterates his opinion thus : " We do be- 
lieve, that it is the design of a wise and benignant Providence 
to make Liberia the asylum of the whole African race now 
dispersed over this continent and the West India islands. 
It is our sincere persuasion, that no event which has occurred 
in the world since the commencement of the nineteenth cen- 
tury, is at all equal in real importance to the successful es- 
tablishment of this little colony." He furnished reviews of 

* Princeton Review, 1841, p. 30, ff. The article is only in part from hia 
pen. 

f Princeton Review, 1843, pu. 30-41 ; and pp. 561-587. 



468 



REVIEWS. 



Dr. Beid's " History of the Presbyterian Cliurcli in Ireland f 
and of the " Debate on Baptism " between Dr. Bice and Al- 
exander Campbell. * He wrote and published at some length 
on the Life of Dean Milner, whom he greatly admired, on 
Strutter's History of the Belief Church in Scotland, and on 
the collected works of Andrew Fuller, f The Horae Agoca- 
lypticae of Elliott drew from him a long and careful disser- 
tation ; and he wrote an extended review of Dr. Davidson's 
valuable History of Kentucky 4 The publication of Chal- 
mers's Sketches of Mental and Moral Philosephy urged him 
to appear again in the way of candid and decided animad- 
version on some points, mingled with hearty praise and ad- 
miration. § He gave a notice of the " Free Church Pulpit/' 
a Life of Bobert Blair, and a discussion of Free Communion, 
as against the rigid view of the Baptists ; which, if we mis- 
take not, closed his labours in the Princeton Beview. || Mean- 
while he was preparing and at length published his volumes on 
the " History of the Log College," and the " History of Af 
rican Colonization ; " the latter being a volume of 603 octavo 
pages. During this time, there was scarcely a week in which 
he did not contribute some paper to the religious journals. 

No one accustomed to consider the progress of literary 
performances can run over this list of publications, without 
some astonishment, that they should have proceeded from 

* Princeton Review, 1844, pp. 57, 199, 581 

f Princeton Review, 1845, p. 191, and 1846, pp. 26, and 547. 

\ Princeton Review, 1847, pp. 141, and 450. 

§ 1848, p. 529, ff. 

\ 1849, p. 82, and 1850, pp. 185, 557. 



AUTHORSHIP* 



469 



one who was nearly approaching fourscore ; especially when 
on examination they are found to betray no marks of senili- 
ty, but to furnish instances of his most acute reasoning 
powers and most ardent emotion. But in truth these were 
but a small portion of his labours with the pen, during his 
last ten years. Not to mention new lectures on the branches 
which he had long taught, he was making incursions into 
new fields. Among the manuscripts which remain are 
many of this period, on important subjects, and some which 
were produced during the very last year of his life. Certain 
of these are on the Composition and Delivery of Sermons. 
He drew out the careful plan of a work on the Duties and 
Consolations of the Christian, and began to fill up the out- 
line, at moments of leisure ; this seems to have been one of 
his last employments. He completed his volume on Moral 
Science, which was published soon after his decease, and 
which leaves its testimony to the unimpaired vigour of his 
understanding. He projected, and carried out through some 
hundreds of pages, a work on Patristical Theology, intend- 
ed to exhibit the opinions of the Fathers, on all leading 
points in divinity. It is a contribution to what the Ger- 
mans call Dogmengeschiclite. He began a Memoir of the 
Eev. William Grraham, to whom his grateful affection seem- 
ed always ready to turn, as long as he lived. This fills a 
small quarto, and is nearly complete. He had for years been 
gathering materials for a History of the Presbyterian Church 
in Virginia ; and from time to time was engaged in entering 
in an immense folio, biographical sketches of distinguished 
American clergymen, and alumni of the College of New Jer- 



470 



LABOUKS IN OLD AGE. 



sey. To these must be added the whole of those autobio- 
graphical sketches, filling numerous volumes, to which we are 
indebted for the earlier portions of our narrative. These do 
not extend further than the year 1810. They are inter- 
spersed with memoirs of almost every distinguished minister 
of his acquaintance ; to which indeed their extraordinary ex- 
tent is to be ascribed. But for the express inhibition of their 
author, they should have been made public in their original 
shape. But nothing more evinces his untiring diligence, and 
the spring of his enterprise, than the fact that when, in 1851, 
the chair of Church Government was left vacant, he not only 
assumed the duties of this department, but immediately ad- 
dressed himself to the work of preparing a course of lectures. 
We have before us his fair and sightly manuscript, of sixty- 
three large folio pages, on " Church Polity and Discipline/' 
It was evidently broken off by his last illness, and ends with 
an unfinished sentence, on the independency of churches. 
This was in September, 1851. 

In this same lapse of time he wrote numerous sermons, 
and preached upon an average once every Lord's Day. He 
likewise corresponded with friends, answering perpetually re- 
curring queries on important points connected with religion 
and the Church. The routine of his Seminary appointments 
was followed with the punctuality and much of the vivacity 
of former years. What was wanting of earlier grace and 
sprightliness was more than replaced by the dignity and 
wisdom of age. At no time did he carry more weight among 
his attached pupils than in these years of venerable decline. 
In May, 1849, the resignation of Dr. Miller, which he had 



MRS. DUNCAN. 



471 



sought two years earlier, was finally accepted. It was a 
touching sight to behold the forms of himself and his aged 
colleague on those occasions when they appeared together at 
the head of their students. Many an observer was prompted 
to exclaim, " The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be 
found in the way of righteousness ! " 

It was during the year in which he died, that Mrs. Mary 
Lundie Duncan, of Scotland, visited Princeton. " The 
hours passed in Princeton/' says this Christian lady, " amid 
the courtesies and hospitalities of the venerable Dr. Alex- 
ander, are among the hoarded gems of memory. A powerful 
interest hangs around that aged man, so true of heart, so 
distinct of mind, so affable of manners. He is full of Chris- 
tian sympathies, and ready to communicate, so that you 
require but to put an inquiry and he flows out, whether the 
subject be of sixty years since or of yesterday, and it is your 
own fault if you are not the wiser for his communings. 
Perhaps others may have remarked, what added much to the 
interest that cleaves to this excellent gentleman — his strong 
resemblance to Wilberforce. Though much more bulky, yet 
the figure is like that of a twin brother. His manner of 
sitting in his easy chair, of speaking, of smiling, and above 
all his ready way of giving information, and his edifying 
Christian remarks, showed a resemblance both in the mould 
and in the jewel within/' The resemblance in the points 
mentioned has been noted by others, and will not fail to be 
suggested to any who examine the striking statue of Wil- 
berforce, in Westminster Abbey. But we ought not to 
withhold a marginal note of Mrs. Duncan's, upon the above 



472 



DR. GREEN DR. DOD. 



paragraph. " How touchingly," she adds, H are these remem- 
brances deepened in pathos , by the tidings just arrived, that 
the Patriarch is with Abraham, and Moses, and all the 
prophets, in glory. It is true he has reached the consumma- 
tion of his faith and hope, but then his family have lost him 
— his students have lost him. Princeton will see his face no 
more. The Church will never again appeal to his wisdom 
and experience. America must number him with her 
patriots, and heroes, and divines, who have departed — and I, 
a passing stranger, while I prize the more the privilege of 
having seen him, feel but the more keenly that the antici- 
pated c passing away' has begun."* 

The death of numerous distant friends has been recorded ; 
but we have to mention some nearer home, which cast a 
heavy shade over the society of Princeton. One of these 
was the decease of the Eev. Albert B. Dod, D. D., Professor 
of Mathematics in the College of New Jersey ; a man whose 
brilliant genius, social charms and high promise caused his 
loss to be keenly and widely felt. In 1848, the Eev. Ashbel 
Green, D. D., late President of the College, departed this 
life. His remains were placed among the sepulchres of the 
great presidents and divines in the Princeton cemetery. 
Between him and Dr. Alexander, who was his junior by 
about ten years, there existed a strong and unbroken Chris- 
tian attachment. But the event which more than all others 
in life made old age significant, was the departure of the 
Rev. Dr. Miller, on the 7th of January, 1850. 

* " America as I Found it. By the mother of Mary Lundie Duncan.*' 
Darters, pp. 10Y-8. 



DEATH OF DR. MILLER. 



473 



Although the public has reason to expect a memoir of 
this venerable servant of Christ, we cannot refrain at this 
point from adding something to what we have already said 
concerning his character. His excellencies were admitted 
widely in the church, for he was known throughout our own 
country and in foreign lands. His publications were nu- 
merous, and were to a large extent vindications of the doc- 
trine and polity of the Church which he loved. No Presby- 
terian is ignorant of the promptitude, courage and address 
with which he came forward on more than one occasion, when 
what he deemed important truth was assailed. As a writer 
he was remarkable for the purity and perspicuity of his 
style, and the absence of all meretricious ornament. He 
was a great reader, and was accustomed to enrich his works 
with numerous and apt citations from other authors. As an 
instructor, he was laborious, full and lucid. For six and 
thirty years he occupied the chair of Ecclesiastical History 
and Church Government ; with a respect from all concerned, 
which augmented with his age. 

It is impossible to remember Dr. Miller, without thinking 
of him as a Christian gentleman. Without an approach to 
stiffness, he was urbane and elegant in all the forms of the 
best society, with which indeed he had always mingled. He 
was cheerful and cordial in his greetings, lively in conversa- 
tion, and fond of social intercourse. It was to this that 
the founding and continuance of a clerical association was 
due, in which he and his ministerial friends met at one 
another's houses during many years. He was the charm of 
mixed companies ; being rich in topics of discourse, and 



474 



DK. MILLER. 



happy beyond most men in apposite anecdote and historical 
reminiscence. Indeed we have never known any one who 
could give such magical effect to little ebullitions of humour, 
which repeated by the lips of others seemed to lose all their 
aroma. But nothing so marked his character as his evan- 
gelical piety. It was the opinion of his colleague, that in 
this Dr. Miller steadily grew, till the very last. He loved 
the cause of his Master, and was unwearied in his endeavours 
to promote it. The work of preaching the Gospel was his 
delight. Unsatisfied with the opportunities afforded by the 
Seminary Chapel, the College and the village church, he 
readily complied with every invitation from abroad, and until 
extreme old age was accustomed to go to the neighbouring 
congregations on every side, and unsought to bestow those 
labours which were always welcome and edifying. 

We have already spoken of the inviolable sacredness of 
fraternal regard which for nearly forty years subsisted be- 
tween him and his colleague. During this long period the 
thread of their lives had been entwined together, with in- 
creasing closeness. They were mutual advisers and confiden- 
tial friends, and rejoiced in each other's progress, happiness, 
and acceptance with the church. Their differences of opinion, 
which were slight and few, were matters for amicable repartee, 
but never caused them even for an hour to draw in different 
directions ; no one ever dreamed of such a thing as a faction 
for one or the other. It was most natural, therefore, that Dr. 
Alexander should look with sadness upon the tokens of de- 
cline in his respected brother. For some months Dr. Miller 
had been subject to attacks of disease, and at length was en- 



DR. MILLER. 



475 



tirely confined to his house. His decline, however, was 
denoted more by great debility than by severe pain. Amidst 
it all, he was calm and believing. Foreseeing his departure 
with an unerring eye, he was resolute in his assertion of all 
the truths which he had taught, and humbly confident in his 
expressions of hope in Jesus Christ. Dr. Alexander thus 
briefly records his decease. u Dr. Miller's health had been 
declining for several months. He had scarcely any disease, 
except the decay of old age. By degrees he sunk, until the 
seventh of this month, when he gave up his spirit to God 
who gave it. He was calm and comfortable in mind during his 
whole confinement. He expressed no very lively feelings, but 
was troubled with no fears or doubts. A day or two before 
his death, I asked him whether any dark cloud at any time 
came over his mind ; he replied, 1 Xone whatever/ " * 

Among all who surrounded his grave, there was none 
whose mind was more deeply solemn than his aged colleague, 
who pronounced a simple but touching funeral discourse. It 
is much to be regretted that no full report of this was ever 
made. The notes which exist among his papers are no more 
than hints for the aid of memory : yet even these fragments 
we feel it to be duty to subjoin in part. A large portion is 
manifestly lost. The text was Hebrews xi. 13 ; " These all 
died in faith," &c. 

"The Eeverend Dr. Miller was born in the town of 
Dover, in the State of Delaware. His father was the pastor 
of a Presbyterian church in that place, then flourishing, but 
of late years almost extinct. His early education was ob- 

* Letter to Mrs. Graham, Jan. 30, 1850. 



476 



DH. MILLER. 



tained under the special tuition of his father. In this best 
of all schools he was prepared to enter college ; and when of 
suitable age he resorted to the University of Pennsylvania, 
where in due time he was graduated. He had selected the 
ministry of the G-ospel as his profession ; impelled, we have 
no doubt, by a sincere desire to glorify Grod and do good to 
men ; but the speaker has no particular acquaintance with 
the early religious exercises of the deceased." Here occurs 
a chasm. — " Being always careful in his- preparations, and 
possessing a neat and perspicuous style and a graceful elocu- 
tion, he continually grew in popularity ; and as his preach- 
ing was truly evangelical, it was highly acceptable to serious 
Christians. At an age much earlier than usual, he was 
honoured with the degree of Doctor of Divinity, by one of 
the eastern Colleges ; a distinction which he afterwards re- 
ceived from other sources ; as well as recently that of Doctor 
of Laws. During twenty years he continued as a pastor in 
the city of New-York. Before the decease of Dr. Eodgers, 
the liutgers-street church, was separated from the Collegiate 
church, and called Dr. Mifledoler ; and at the decease of Dr. 
Eodgers the Collegiate church was divided into the Wall- 
street and the Brick church. Of the former Dr. Miller 
became the pastor, and laboured acceptably among that 
people, until in the spring of 1813 he was chosen Professor 
of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government, in the 
Theological Seminary at this place ; and in the autumn of 
the same year, he entered upon the duties of his office. 

" It may be remarked, that no man in the Church had 
been more zealous and active in founding this Institution, 



DR. MILLER. 



477 



than Dr. Miller. He and Dr. Green may more properly be 
considered its founders than any other persons. Others aided 
by their counsels and occasional exertions, but these two 
devoted themselves with untiring zeal to the prosecution of 
the object, and had the pleasure of seeing their exertions 
crowned with success. At this time, Dr. Miller, so far as I 
know, was not thought of as a professor ; and I am per- 
suaded the thought was entirely foreign from his own mind. 
In connection with this Institution he has continued until the 
day of his death. 

" Besides labouring in his appropriate vocation, he has 
very frequently preached in this and the neighbouring 
churches ; and I think I may say, that I never knew a 
minister, who delighted more in preaching the Gospel. As 
he advanced in life, it appeared to his friends that his 
preaching became more spiritual and evangelical. Even to 
the time when the decay of physical strength confined him 
to the house, he sought opportunities of delivering the Gos- 
pel message to the congregations in the vicinity. As to his 
writings, which are numerous, and his professional labours, I 
need not speak. Of his ability, learning and fidelity, there 
are hundreds of witnesses scattered over the land." 

" The character of our deceased friend and brother may 
be thus summed up. In all the private and domestic rela- 
tions of life hq was exemplary. — As a neighbour he was kind 
and courteous to all, and exactly just in his dealings. As a 
minister he was faithful and evangelical, and was accustomed 
to present the truths of the Gospel in a manner so distinct 
and methodical, that his discourses could not only be under- 



478 



DR. MILLER. 



stood with ease, but readily remembered by the attentive 
hearer. — As a member of church judicatories, he was an 
able advocate for [truth], a warm friend to experimental 
and practical piety, and of course a friend of revivals. No 
member of our Church has done more to explain and defend 
her doctrines than our deceased brother. With his col- 
leagues he was uniformly cordial ; and I have never known 
a man more entirely free from vainglory, envy, and jealousy. 
To the students under his care he was paternal and af- 
fectionate." 

We cannot more appropriately close what relates to the 
union of these two men, than by giving insertion to an ex- 
tract from a letter from Dr. Miller, to the Eev. Henry A. 
Boardman, D. D., of Philadelphia. It has a pathos which 
will go to many a heart. 

"Princeton, Feb. 28, 1849. 

" I thank you, my dear brother, for the kind expressions 
which you employ on the prospect of my retiring from office. 
I am, indeed, nearly worn out. Far advanced in my 
eightieth year, I have outlived all my relatives, and all my 
own expectations, and am compassed about with so many 
infirmities, that I am persuaded a longer continuance in 
office would be in no respect just, either to the Seminary or 
myself. Yet in looking forward to retirement from official 
labour, and especially to that day which is near at hand, 
when I must 6 put off this tabernacle/ I desire to bless Grod 
for the humble hope which I am permitted to entertain, that 
I have so good a home to go to, where there will be no 
more infirmity, and especially no more sin ; but perfect 



DR. MILLER. 



479 



anion and conformity to Him who, though he was rich, for 
our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might 
be rich. 

H I desire to unite with you, my dear brother, in thanks- 
giving to the G-reat Head of the Church, that our beloved 
Seminary has been made so useful to our Zion, by training 
so large a portion of our ministry under the same teachers ; 
and I hope I have some sincere gratitude that I have been 
permitted to occupy a place, and take some humble part in 
this hallowed work. But I can truly say that the sentiment 
which most strongly and prominently occupies my mind, is 
that of thankfulness that the Lord has been pleased to unite 
me with colleagues so wise, so faithful, so much superior 
to myself, and so eminently adapted to be a blessing to the 
Church. I consider it as one of the greatest blessings of 
my life to be united with such men, and pre-eminently with 
my senior colleague, whose wisdom, prudence, learning, and 
peculiar piety have served as an aid and guide to myself, as 
well as to others. I desire to leave it on record for the eye 
of intimate friendship, that in my own estimation my union 
with, these beloved men has been the means of adding to my 
own respectability and my own usefulness far more than I 
could ever, humanly speaking, have attained, either alone or 
in association with almost any other men. I desire espe- 
cially to feel thankful that I ever saw the face of my vene- 
rated senior colleague. He has been for thirty-six years, to 
me a counsellor, a guide, a prop, and a stay, under God, to 
a degree which it would not be easy for me to estimate or 
acknowledge. 



480 



LAST SYNOD. 



"The union in our Faculty has been complete. And 
the solid basis of the whole has been a perfect agreement on 
the part of all of us in an honest subscription to our doctri- 
nal formularies. There has been no discrepance — no pulling 
in different directions here. 

" Hoping to see you in a few days, I am, my dear sir, 
your friend and brother in Christian bonds. 

"Samuel Miller." 

There were two of his last public appearances away from 
home, which seem to deserve a record from us. The first of 
these concerns the meeting of the Synod of New Jersey at 
Elizabethtown in 1850. 

DR. MAGIE TO JAMES W. ALEXANDER. 

"Jan. 20, 1854, 

"My Dear Sir :— 

" You ask me for some account of your father's last visit 
to Elizabethtown ; and with sincere pleasure I comply with 
your request. It was to attend the meeting of the Synod 
of New Jersey, just one year before that held in Princeton, 
during the sessions of which the Lord permitted him to enter 
upon his final rest. Many of us never expected another 
opportunity of looking upon his beloved face, or listening t© 
his cheering and animating voice. 

" A few months before, he had spent a Sabbath with my 
people, and preached a sermon to youth, which is still re- 
membered and spoken of with the deepest interest. We 
then considered it doubtful whether he should be able to 
attend the meeting of Synod. Still on the appointed day he 



ELIZABETHTOWN. 



48 i 



was here, and appeared to be in quite good health and spirits. 
On both these occasions he was an inmate of my family, and 
had I leisure, I should love to speak of his pleasant inter- 
course with us, and especially of the calm, earnest, and com- 
prehensive prayers he offered for me and mine. His presence 
seemed to make our house like c a field which the Lord has 
blessed/ As the meetings of Synod were progressing, I in- 
vited a number of His former students to meet him at my 
table. We enjoyed these interviews, and he evidently en- 
joyed them too. Now and then he indulged a little in the 
quiet humour which always distinguished him, and which 
added zest and life to his conversation. But every thing was 
seasoned with grace. 

" It was, however, of his appearance in the Synod that 
I intended chiefly to speak. There he was the same wise, 
kind, unobtrusive man he ever was in such bodies, neither 
putting himself forward to mingle in every little debate, nor 
declining to give his opinion when the nature of the business 
required it. I have often admired his conduct in this re- 
spect, and could wish it had more imitators. Dr. Alexander 
was not one of those who conclude that nothing is well done 
wJiich they have not had the shaping of. 

" You know it is the custom of our Synod to devote one 
evening to public prayer and exhortation ; and I was very 
desirous that your father should make one of the addresses. 
Accordingly as Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, 
I mentioned the matter to him. At first he said, 6 1 am too 
old, you must select some other person/ I replied — ' Ton see, 
sir, that a large proportion of the ministers of the Synod 



482 



LAST SYNOD. 



have been your pupils, and this may be the last time ' that 
they will ever have the privilege of listening to your voice/ 
He seemed struck with the suggestion, but said nothing 
farther. In the evening he made his address, and though he 
seemed feeble at first, his words had the same life and power 
with those which we had often heard in his earlier days. It 
was such a strain of affectionate counsel as only a man like 
him could give. He commenced with a reference to the fact, 
that he found himself standing in the presence of many who 
had once been his beloved pupils ; and as he went on to 
urge us to quit ourselves like men, for G-od, and the great 
interests of his kingdom, he appeared to be talking to us as 
from the very gates of the celestial city. It is scarcely too 
much to say, that we beheld his face as if it had been the 
face of an angel. His heart was melted, and our hearts were 
melted likewise. 

" Even making some abatement for the mingled feelings 
of veneration and love with which we regarded him, I must 
say, it was one of his very best efforts. He felt evidently 
that it was the last time. Every thing in his manner, his 
looks, and the tones of his voice, as well as in the words he 
uttered, indicated that he stood on the very verge of heaven, 
and was fully ready to say, I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept the faith ; henceforth 
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the 
Lord the righteous J udge shall give me at that day. And 
it was the last time. Most of us saw his face no more. 

" Great and good man ! May his mantle, as well as that 
of the beloved Miller, fall on all our rising ministry ! Then 



LAST SERMON ABROAD. 



483 



would Zion arise and shine, her light being corne, and the 
glory of the Lord risen upon her. 

" Very truly and affectionately yours, 

"David Magie." 



The other visit was to the church in South Trenton, 
which he had regarded with much interest, as the pastor had 
been one of his pupils. From this friend we have derived 
the statement which follows. It was a beautiful summer 
day, July 27, 1851, and a communion Sabbath. As the 
church-edifice was incomplete, the services took place in the 
Mercer Court House. Dr. Alexander preached on that oc- 
casion to the edification and delight of all who heard him, 
and also rendered most valuable assistance at the table. He 
was apprehensive lest he might be seized with a faintness, to 
which he had been subject at times, but nothing of the kind 
occurred. The sermon was rich in Bible truth and Christian 
experience, and in manner he was more than usually ani- 
mated, solemn and impressive, to the very close. In the 
afternoon he made an address to the Sabbath School. The 
room was crowded almost to suffocation. His venerable ap- 
pearance, penetrating eye, silvery locks and tremulous voice, 
all had a tendency to increase the interest which all present, 
from the oldest to the youngest, felt in the distinguished 
speaker, as in a serious but familiar manner he commenced 
by saying : "In a hundred years, every one who hears me 

now will be in heaven or in hell ! This is the last 

time I expect to address you. You will probably never see 
me again. But you will remember what I tell you long after 



484 



LAST ADDRESS TO CHILDREN. 



I am dead and gone. You will remember that an old man 
addressed you on this occasion. When a little boy, only five 
or six years old, I remember hearing an old man preach the 
Gospel, just as you hear me now. I remember how gray his 
hair was, and how old he looked, and how he was dressed. 
And I never can forget the text that he preached from. It 
was these words : ' If any man love not the Lord J esus 
Christ, let him be anathema maranatlia! I did not then 
know the meaning of these hard words, but the minister went 
on to explain them, and said that if we did not love the 
Lord Jesus Christ, we should all be accursed of God and de- 
voted to destruction. And this I repeat in your hearing 
this day, my young friends. If you do not love the Saviour 
you will be destroyed. Tou can never enjoy his favour and 
blessing unless you love him with all your hearts, and do 
whatsoever he has commanded you. Remember it is an old 
man that tells you so — on the authority of the Word of 
God. When you go home, write it down that on this, July 
27, a. d. 1851, Dr. Alexander, an old man, addressed the 
Sunday School, and said, 'If any man love not the Lord 
Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha/ Eemember 1 
it is an old man that tells you so/ These are a few of the 
words, and a very imperfect sketch at best of what fell from 
his lips on that occasion, which can never be forgotten by 
the hundreds of children and youth, together with their ; 
teachers, who heard him. Even the youngest child had its 
eyes fastened on him to the last, drinking in the words which j 
he spake, while all listened with breathless attention to this 
farewell address. 



TBAITS OF OLD AGE. 



485 



" This I believe was the last time this venerable man ever 
preached the Gospel out of Princeton, and it was a good 
day's work. How faithfully that work was performed, how 
full of holy zeal for his Master and of love to the souls of 
his fellow-men ; there are multitudes of living witnesses in our 
midst who can testify, some of whom we humbly hope shall 
rise up in the judgment and call him blessed/' 

Our labours concerning the events of Dr. Alexander's 
active life are now brought to a close. But before we ap- 
proach the scenes of the termination, it may be allowed us 
to recur for a little to the general aspect of his declining 
years. In person he was certainly much changed, but not 
in the way which gives painful indication of infirmity. As 
we have found him repeatedly saying in his letters, he was 
enjoying the sense of health, more than in his years of prime. 
His body was fuller, and his eye had not waxed dim. When 
he chose it, which was rarely, he was competent to extra- 
ordinary exertion. His hearing was acute to the last, and 
with the aid of glasses he used his sight without complaint. 
His love of children, of family chat, of visits from friends, 
of psalmody, and of the daily journals, was undiminished. 
As he walked home from an evening service, he said to one 
of his family, whom he almost outstripped in the rapidity of 
his step, " I begin to think there is a literality in that say- 
ing of the prophet Isaiah, xl. 30, ' But they that wait on 
the Lord shall renew their strength/ " On the day of his en- 
tering his seventy- eighth year, he visited the house of his eldest 
son, played gaily with the children, and seemed as alert and 
keen as in his best days. His attention to his grandchildren 



486 



HAPPY DECLINE. 



was remarkable. They clambered upon his knee as freely 
as their parents had done before them, were instructed by 
his drawings and his tales, and seemed to give liim un- 
mingled delight. He often prayed over them, laying on 
them his hands in benediction. 

It was almost a daily remark in the house, that these 
were his best days, even in natural things, and that he 
never had so vivid an enjoyment of life. Such was his own 
delightful admission. " Old age/' said he, " is not an un- 
pleasant part of life, where health and piety are possessed."* 
A host of physical evils which had beset him in earlier days, 
had now been mercifully removed. His simple nourishment 
was enjoyed without rule or scruple, and the morbid vigils 
which once distressed him gave place to balmy sleep. It 
was apparent to every one that he was in higher spirits, even 
if sometimes his alternations of depressed feeling would re- 
turn. Occasionally he would break out in conversation with 
all the exuberance and glee of his youth ; but the charac- 
teristic of his temper was a benignant serenity. From our 
earliest recollections, he had been accustomed to sit and 
muse in the evening twilight, often prolonging these hours ! 
far beyond the time when lights are usually demanded. 
These moments, though solemn, appeared to be pleasurable. 
In these he pursued his most fruitful trains of thought. 
As he grew older, this solitary exercise was more frequent 
and protracted ; and in no instance did it seem to merge 
into any thing like slumber. It was a period to be grate- 
fully remembered, as one of singular peace. 

* Letter to Mrs. Graham, August 15, 1850. 



PERSISTENT LABOUR. 



487 



From what has been extracted from his correspondence, 
it may be gathered that he was continually meditating on 
his approaching departure ; but this gave no sombre colour- 
ing to his manner or his words. Though he never spoke, 
except by incidental allusion, of his personal experience, it 
was too evident to admit of doubt, that his countenance was 
often radiant with uncommon spiritual joys. It broke out in 
his family prayers, in his singing of psalms and hymns, 
which he continued in the domestic service till the very last, 
and especially in his sermons and addresses at the Lord's 
Table. 

Old age never seemed to occur to him as affording a mo- 
tive to relax in labour. His principle was, that the faculties 
were to be kept in vigour by perpetual use. The same had 
once been expressed to him by his friend Dr. Eice : " As far 
as my observation goes, there are two errors to which aged 
men are exposed. One is, of holding on, and refusing to 
admit that they are old. We have seen some instances of 
this. The other is precisely opposite. It is allowing them- 
selves to grow prematurely old. Failing to exercise their 
faculties, they become rusty and move like an old door whose 
hinges are never oiled. I have no doubt about the fact, that 
when the organs through which the mind acts, fail, mental 
imbecility ensues. But I am equally certain, that ceasing 
to exert our faculties greatly impairs their strength. And I 
am convinced that when a man, whose life has been very ac- 
tive, retires, he very soon sinks into second childhood." * 
The opinion here advanced was one which Dr. Alexander 
cherished, often uttered, and persistently acted on ; with an 

* Letter of Dr. John H. Rice, January S, 1830. 



488 



RESOLUTION. 



entire success which seems to us instructive. His own words 
express somewhat characteristically the temper of Iris mind 
in regard to public duty : it was only a few months before 
his death, that he thus wrote, 

DR. ALEXANDER TO THE REV. DR. PLUMER. 

"Princeton, April 16, 1851. 

" Reverend and dear Sir : — 

" To relieve your mind from all uneasiness respect- 
ing the expression in my letter, about not i continuing much 
longer to be a professor/ I would inform you. that on this 
day week I expect to enter on my eightieth year ; and of 
course I cannot expect to c continue here much longer/ I 
have no intention of resigning, while my health is good, and 
my mind sound. If I should be seized with paralysis, or 
some other disease which would entirely disqualify me for 
performing the duties of my office, I might deem it expe- 
dient to resign ; but it is my general purpose and hope, to 
die in the harness. My health and spirits were never better 
than at present ; although the excitability of my nervous 
system occasions seasons of depression and uneasy feeling, 
from the physical state. All I want is a stronger faith, 
This I hope I shall receive in the hour of need, in answer to 
many prayers. And you could not gratify me more than by 
your declared purpose to remember me in your prayers. 

"With kind regards to Mrs. Plumer and your daughters, 
I remain very truly yours, &c. 

"A. A." 



EMPLOYMENTS. 



489 



During this time he very much ceased to go abroad, and 
confined himself most of the day to his study. Here, how- 
ever, he was to be found neither idle nor resting, but 
generally engaged in study, and to an extraordinary extent 
in writing. There was scarcely a new work of interest in 
any of his chosen departments, which he did not peruse. 
There was no person of our acquaintance who kept himself 
more abreast of the literature which regards the Millennarian 
and the Geological controversies. On all such topics his con- 
versation was as flowing and as judicious as in former days. 
What is most worthy of mention is, that no one discovered 
or suspected the slightest decay of the mental powers. On 
every subject to which he applied his mind, he manifested 
not only soundness but quickness. Though he sometimes 
complained of some difficulty in remembering names, his 
friends remarked that he was annoyed by the same many 
years before. It was observed with wonder by all his family, 
that Providence seemed to have given him full exemption 
from the common weaknesses of old age. 

At the stroke of the bell, he might be seen without fail, 
issuing from his study door, and going across the small space 
which divided the Seminary from his grounds ; much bent, 
and with eyes turned to the ground, as he paced slowly on, 
wrapped in his cloak and with his profuse silver locks waving 
in the wind ; but often, as if at some sudden dash of 
thought, he would quicken his steps almost to running, and 
ascend the threshold with alacrity. This was a peculiarity 
of his motion all his life. His children always knew his 
whereabout, by the vivacity of his changes, and used to 



490 



PUBLIC SERVICES. 



say jocosely that he never closed or opened a door softly, and 
always ran np stairs. With his manuscript rolled up in his 
hand, he took the chair, and after a short and pertinent 
prayer, began his instructions. They were always such as 
kept his pupils in wakeful attention, and so far as we know 
were not less acceptable than those of his younger life. 

It has been said that he continued to preach. That he 
should have done this with so much pleasure to himself and 
so little abatement of interest in his audiences, is not a little 
surprising ; especially when we consider the bodily changes 
which he had sustained. His voice remained clear, and 
though tending to play too much among the upper notes of 
the register, had no weakness ; and notwithstanding the 
total loss of teeth his articulation was perfect. He read 
from his manuscript more than in his middle life ; but often 
threw in new matter, and almost always closed with an 
extemporaneous application. The signal for this was the 
sudden throwing up of the spectacles upon his forehead ; and 
he would then enchain the attention and control the feelings 
of the assembly in a manner which sometimes reminded them 
of his best efforts. At the Sunday afternoon Conference, he 
still loved to indulge his talent for original and animated 
remark ; we suppose there was no one of his intellectual 
efforts which abode more in its pristine vigour. 

No observation was more common than that Dr. Alexan- 
der was unlike most old men, in his tolerance for the changes 
of the day. If a new scheme of any promise was on foot, 
he was really more inclined to listen and to favour, than 
most younger men. The passing events of the neighbour- 



BENIGNITY. 



491 



hood and the country awakened his inquisitive interest. In 
this he has strikingly reminded us of Chancellor Kent. One 
reason for this was his persevering habit of learning all that 
public journals could convey. Another reason may be found 
in his almost total exemption from what may be called the 
pride of years. He was in no such sense a laudator tempo- 
ris acti, as that he undervalued or disparaged contemporary 
men and things. We have no recollection of ever hearing 
him hold up former generations of ministers as models, or 
lauding the works and methods of his youth, or complaining 
of deterioration in preaching. He was sanguine in his hopes 
for both Church and country, and favourable even to a fault 
in regard to the performances of junior brethren. Every one 
was welcome to his door ; and many are the instances in 
which he has spent an hour in lively conversation with some 
itinerant chapman 01 agent, whom most would regard as a 
nuisance ; but from whom he always contrived to learn 
something. 

On a former page we have employed a word which was 
often on his Hps, and which more than all others denotes the 
blessedness of his Christian evening ; it was Peace. Some- 
times it seemed to be 6 perfect peace/ No cloud is known 
to have darkened his prospect for years, in regard to his per- 
sonal acceptance with Grod. And though his prayers and 
discourses more than his common talk were the vehicle of 
his joyful thoughts, it was a pleasure to all who were near 
him to observe how he had outlived and thrown off one care 
and anxiety after another, until he stood almost biprocinctu, 
stript and ready ; for the last conflict. This was not the less 



492 



PEACE. 



edifying or delightful, for being accompanied with a serene 
and healthful interest in all the concerns of his family and 
his calling ; and it seems incredible that any one could pass 
through a long period of decline with less burden to others 
or less exaction from them on the score of infirmity or years. 
After all, we feel how impossible it is by any report of ours 
to convey an adequate impression of this truly happy and 
beautiful old age. 



CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 



1851. 

ILLXESS — LAST H0T7ES — DEATH. 

TT has been already said that the months immediately pre- 
JL ceding his last illness were marked with unusual bodily 
comfort. He was alert and cheerful, and said that he never 
felt better. The last sermon that he ever preached was de- 
livered to the students in the Seminary Chapel, on the 7th of 
September, from the words, Isaiah 54 : 13, " All thy children 
shall be taught of God." The Lord's Supper was adminis- 
tered in the First Church of Princeton on the 14th of Sep- 
tember ; on which occasion he made an address to the com- 
municants. This was his last public service. In the after- 
noon he was present at the Conference in the Seminary. The 
subject treated was the Sacraments, considered as Means of 
Grace. Feeling slightly indisposed he at first declined to 
offer any remarks ; but after Dr. Hodge had spoken, he added 
a few words. The summer heat of that year was remark- 
ably extended into the month of September, and, in his own 
apprehension, predisposed him to disease. 



494 



ILLNESS. 



About the 18th of September he began to be more indis- 
posed, but for a number of days only in a slight degree ; and 
he continued to attend his classes. On Sunday, the 21st, he 
would have gone to the regular service in the Chapel, but 
was dissuaded from it by his family. He seemed exceeding- 
ly reluctant to omit his lectures, and even after becoming too 
unwell to leave the house, dictated the syllabus of a lecture 
on Mental Philosophy. 

About a week after his seizure he had an interview with 
Professor Hodge, from whose notes we are permitted to make 
an extract, preferring his simple statement to any prepared 
report. " On going over/' says Dr. Hodge, " I found him 
reclining, in his ordinary dress, upon a sofa in the study. 
As I entered the room, he reached out his hand to me, and 
for the first time in my life called me his dear son ; and said 
he had a few things to communicate, to which he did not 
wish me to make any reply. He said that his impression as 
to his situation was different from that of his family. They 
thought he was getting well ; he was sure he was going to 
die. His increasing weakness, and the entire loss of appetite 
convinced him that he could not recover. After much re- 
flection, he had come to the conclusion that there never was 
a time in which it would be or could be better for him to 
leave the world. He never had felt that his work was done 
before now. He had accomplished every thing he could for 
his family, and thought he could no longer be of service to 
the Seminary, and he therefore considered that it was desi- 
rable he should not recover. He said, he spoke thus not 
from any bright views of the future, which he had not, but 



INTERVIEW WITH DR. HODGE, 



495 



from the convictions of his understanding. He had never 
known any man after eighty years of age to be useful, and he 
did not wish to drag on a few more years a burden to him- 
self or others. His views of divine truth, he said, remained 
the same ; and as to comfort and support in dying, he had 
as much reason to expect them now as ever. He added, 
'Now, my dear son, farewell — you will never see me again/ 
He told me to make a short prayer — which I did, he adding 
Amen — with peculiar emphasis. 

" As I was about to withdraw, he said — £ Yes ! I must 
see you again, as I have some things to say about the Semi- 
nary/ 

" October 15th. — Dr. Alexander sent for me again. He 
was still in his study. He gave me his account-book of the 
scholarships and explained to me what he wished done in 
reference to that matter. He was more cheerful than when 
I last saw him. Spoke of his dissolution as certainly near 
at hand, and gave general directions about his funeral/' 

The disease, which took the form of a diarrhoea, now in- 
creased, so that he had no rest day or night. In the 
morning, instead of being refreshed he was quite exhausted. 
But until a week before his death, he came down regularly 
to his study, as early as six o'clock in the morning, and lay 
upon the sofa until bedtime. During the latter part of this 
time, however, he required the assistance of an arm to lean 
upon. For the last week of his thus coming down he seemed 
better ; the disease was somewhat checked, he was driven out 
occasionally, and continued to walk into another room, where 
he listened to the newspapers and other reading, and seemed 



496 



INCREASED ILLNESS. 



much interested in all that was going on. The only dis- 
tressing symptom was a total loss of appetite, which all 
around him tried in vain to tempt. 

While his family were all hoping with much cheerfulness, 
his own judgment of his case never wavered. He declared 
that his stomach had lost all tone, and that he should grad- 
ually sink. In remembering the perfect calmness with which 
he contemplated every symptom, his friends now wonder that 
they were not more alarmed ; for in his previous slight ail- 
ments he had usually been much discouraged. But his com- 
posure in speaking of his approaching dissolution tended to 
dispel all serious apprehensions of the result. When any 
new article was prepared for him by his loving family or sent 
in by kind friends, he would say with the utmost cheerful- 
ness, "My stomach has lost its power, and cannot react." 
From the very first, it is obvious that he had a clear under- 
standing of his case, such as precluded all expectation of 
recovery. 

On the 17th of October, for the first time, his family 
were compelled to give up all hope of his amendment. The 
change on that day was marked and sudden. He had 
walked down as usual to the study, with the assistance of 
his beloved daughter, but was evidently weakened by the I 
effort. During the day his debility increased so much that 
when night came he was utterly unable to walk. He was very 
desirous of being taken to his chamber, from which he said 
he should never descend alive. Accordingly, by the kind aid 
of Mr. Cleghorn of the Seminary and a few other persons, 
he was carried up stairs and laid upon his bed. It is propei 



INTERVIEW WITH SON. 



497 



to say that the day before, his eldest son, who had been ab- 
sent in Europe, was permitted to meet him. He was lying 
on the sofa, much emaciated, but with a countenance stri- 
kingly like that of thirty years before. Taking his son by the 
hand, he gave thanks to God for having preserved him, and 
for allowing this interview, which he had greatly desired. 
He then proceeded to give a number of directions and orders, 
with perfect composure and the deliberation of one who 
utters a series of charges from a memorandum. There was 
an air of unearthly authority which we remember with awe. 
He said that his end was approaching, and that all arrange- 
ments had been completed for the comfort and sustenance 
of his family. To this son he then gave the Hebrew Bible 
which had been his daily companion for forty years. He 
designated for his eldest grandson the fine Clarendon Cicero, 
in ten quarto volumes, and caused us for the second boy to 
choose between Hesychius and Burmann's quarto Quintilian. 
He had previously pointed out for little William Alexander, 
one of his grandchildren, the walking-stick which he had 
long used. These things were done with all the calmness and 
cheerfulness of his most untroubled days. He proceeded to 
name two of his sons, who should have the entire control of 

! his manuscripts, and of any notice that might be published 
of his life. He said that his treatise on Moral Science was 
in his judgment the most worthy of being edited. After 
having thus settled his last worldly affairs, he proceeded to 
talk freely about the work of Grod in the Eeformed Churches 
abroad, and when his strength was exhausted, dismissed his 

t son. In all that he uttered he was clear, succinct, and de- 



498 



INTERVIEW WITH DR. HODGE. 



cided, speaking with a mien which carried something of 
command. The writer of these pages may be allowed tc 
record his heartfelt thanks to Gk>d, for the privilege of thus 
beholding once more the face of an honoured father. 

During his illness he dictated a paper to be taken round 
for subscriptions towards the relief of a young man whose 
studies had been interrupted by disease. Only two or three 
days before his death he spoke of a clergyman whom he had 
met on the railroad some time before, and to whom he was 
very anxious to send some books. The name of this stranger 
had escaped his memory, though he remembered the county 
and presbytery somewhere near Buffalo. 

On the 16 th, already mentioned as his last day below 
stairs, he gave his last directions to his beloved wife and to 
his children. On the same day he had a last interview with 
his cherished colleague and friend Dr. Hodge, whose memo- 
randum we will not mar by abridgment or change. 

"Oct. 17. Saw Dr. Alexander for the last time. He 
was upstairs in bed. He said he had sent for me to speak 
about his funeral. He said as Dr. J ohn McDowell had from 
the beginning been a Director of the Seminary, and was one 
of its best friends, he thought him the proper person to 
preach on the occasion. He commissioned me to make the 
request as from him, with the injunction not to utter one 
word of eulogy. e We cannot/ he added, 6 prevent people 
from talking about us, but I do not wish any delineation of 
character attempted, nor any praise/ He then, with a 
smile, handed me a white bone walking-stick, carved and 
presented to him by one of the chiefs of the Sandwich 



INTERVIEW WITH MR. SOHENCK. 



499 



Islands, and said, 6 You must leave this to your successor in 
office, that it may be handed down as a kind of symbol of 
orthodoxy/ 

" The students of the Seminary had set apart this day 
as a season of fasting and prayer. When he was informed 
of this he said, ' Give them my blessing ; but tell them not 
to pray for my recovery, which is now out of the question/ 
I never saw him more himself — more cheerful — almost play- 
ful. There seemed in his case to be no difference between 
faith and sight. He spoke of this world and of the next in 
the same tone of cheerful assurance, passing from one topic 
to the other without the least change of manner. There 
was no excitement nor tension of feeling, but the most per- 
fect simplicity. I never saw and never imagined a death- 
bed where there was so little of death. It seemed to him 
as an ordinary matter, and he spoke of dying with the same 
natural cheerfulness, with which he would have spoken of 
going from one room to another. Indeed his chamber was 
the most cheerful room in the house/' 

Either on this day or the preceding, he had an interview 
with the Eev. William E. Schenck, pastor of the First 
Church, a gentleman for whom he had always cherished 
much affection. From minutes of Mr. Schenck, intended 
solely for his own eye, we make the following extracts. 

" It was on the morning of the Thursday preceding Dr. 
Alexander's death, that I called to inquire after his health. 
My inquiries having been answered at the door I was about 
to leave, when I was called back by one of his sons, who said 
that his father had heard I was at the door and desired to see 



500 



APPROACH OF DEATH. 



me. As I entered the study he was lying on the sofa in his 
usual dress, but supported by pillows. He extended his hand 
in a very cordial manner ; on taking it I found it icy cold. 
He at once said to me in a very warm and tender tone, 6 My 
dear young friend, I have much desired to see you once 
more, and am glad to have this opportunity. I wish to bid 
you farewell. You will see me no more in this life/ 

" I was so greatly overcome by this address that I hardly 
knew what to reply. I merely said, c I trust and most ear- 
nestly hope, dear sir, that you may yet be mistaken. Should 
it be so, we are confident it would be your inexpressible gain ; 
but it would be a sorrowful day indeed for all of us that 
should survive/ 

" c I feel confident/ said he, 6 that I am not mistaken. 1 
shall not live long. Nor have I any wish to stay longer. I 
have lived eighty years, which is more than the usual term 
of human life, and if I remain, I have little to look forward 
to, but infirmity and suffering. If such be the Lord's 
will, I feel thoroughly satisfied, and even would prefer to 
go now. My work on earth, I feel, is done. And it 
does seem to me (he added with great earnestness), as if my 
Heavenly Father had in great mercy surrounded me with 
almost every circumstance which could remove anxieties 
and make me feel that I can go without regret. My affairs 
have all been attended to, my arrangements are all com- 
pleted, and I can think of nothing more to be done. I have 
greatly desired to see my son James before my departure, 
and sometimes feared I should not have that privilege, but 
the Lord has graciously brought him back in time to see me, 



PERFECT PEACE, 



501 



having led him safely through much peril on the ocean. 

My children are all with me 

The church of which you are pastor is prosperous and flour- 
ishing. The Seminary Faculty is again full, and the Insti- 
tution in an excellent condition. The more I reflect upon 
the matter, the more all things seem to combine to make me 
perfectly willing to enter into my rest. The Lord has very 
graciously and tenderly led me (he added, closing his eyes 
and clasping his hands in a devotional manner) all the days 
of my life — yes, all the days of my life. And he is now 
with me still. In Him I enjoy perfect peace' The last sen- 
tence he uttered in a quick, earnest and happy tone of voice, 
such as was peculiar to him in certain moocls. Pausing a 
moment or two, as if to recover breath, he then said : 

" c I have much desired to see you, that I might bid you 
farewell, and once more invoke God's blessing upon you and 
your ministry. You have had a strong hold on my affec- 
tions, and I have felt much satisfaction in your preaching. 
Continue as you have begun, and have done thus far, to 
preach Christ and Him crucified, scripturally, plainly, earnest- 
ly, and God will continue richly to bless your ministry, even 
as he has here so lately done. He lifted his hands, as if to 
pronounce a benediction. I fell on my knees, beside the 
sofa, with my head bowed, and weeping bitterly ; never- 
theless I tried hard to restrain my feelings, while with his 
hands extended over me, he offered a short and fervent 
prayer, closing with these words : c God greatly bless his 
servant, in his person, in his family, and in his ministry. 
May it please God to give him great usefulness and success. 



502 



REV. MR. SCHENCK. 



May many souls be saved through his efforts ; and when his 
work is done, may we be permitted to meet again in a hap- 
pier world, Amen/ 

" As I arose from my knees, he reached out his hand as 
if to bid me farewell. 

u c I cannot go (said I) until I attempt to thank you, 
which I do with my whole heart, for your long and unvarying 
kindness to me. Tou have been to me the best and most 
valued of earthly friends/ 

" c You must thank God for that, (said he quickly.) All 
kindness and all friends are His gifts. Give my love to your 
wife and children/ 

" The last sentence he repeated when I had reached the 
door, and very slowly, as if he were loath to have me leave 
him— 

" i Give my love and a very affectionate farewell to your 
wife and to your dear little children/ 

" As I walked away from the house I could not repress 
my tears, and a sense of utter desolation came over me for 
a little while as I thought that I had probably taken a last 
view, and received the last words of affectionate counsel from 
that beloved and venerated friend, to whom I have been ac- 
customed to resort, and on whose counsels I have been accus- 
tomed to rely as on those of no other man on earth. But 
soon my feelings grew calmer. I felt that I had been breath- 
ing an atmosphere redolent with the very fragrance of 
heaven. The room that I had left seemed to have been per- 
fumed with holy composure and immovable confidence in a 
glorified but present Kedeemer. As I reflected upon the 



REVIVAL OF YOUTHFUL SCENES. 



503 



scene, I gained new views of life, of death, and of Heaven. 
I felt, as I had never felt before, how * sure and steadfast' is 
that anchor of Gospel hope which c entereth into that within 
the veil/ I could not help asking myself, 'Is it possible 
to die so ? Does the Lord Jesus give his people such com- 
plete and quiet victories over the grim King of Terrors ? ' 
There was nothing excited, nothing exultant ; and yet it 
seemed to be thoroughly triumphant ; a calm, believing, 
cheerful looking through the gloomy grave into the glories of 
the eternal world. It was the steady, unfaltering step of a 
genuine Christian philosopher as well as an eminent saint, 
evincing his own thorough, heartfelt, and practical belief in 
the doctrines he had so long and so ably preached, as he 
descended hour by hour into the dark valley and shadow of 
death. And I could not help praying as I had never prayed 
before, 6 Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
last end be like his/ " 

In his illness his early days seemed to pass before him in 
review. The anniversary of his licensure, sixty years before, 
had recently occurred. To this he alluded on the last day 
that he sat up, recurring to his unwillingness to be licensed, 
and his dislike to the text assigned to him, as before related. 
During one of these nights, while his devoted wife was watch- 
ing by his side, he broke out into something like a soliloquy, 
rehearsing God's gracious dealings with his soul. There was 
so great an elevation in his language, that Mrs. Alexander 
was unwilling to be the sole witness, and called in their 
daughter. He recounted the particular exercises of his youth, 
and especially dwelt on that scene in the Bushy Hills, of 



504 



DYING EXPERIENCE. 



which notice has been taken in one of our early chapters, 
On this occasion, more than any other in his illness, his views 
and emotions appeared to acquire the form of holy rapture. 

Disease was now rapidly doing its work. His appetite 
was gone. Through the night he would occasionally take a 
little ice or a spoonful of ice-cream. There was something 
touching in the value which he set on the most ordinary at- 
tentions. He was especially thankful that our dear mother 
was permitted to wait on him to the last. She was much 
attenuated and exhausted by solicitude and loss of sleep, and 
could scarcely have held out many days longer ; yet the sup- 
port of her faith and patience was little less remarkable than 
his own. When approaching his end, he said to her with 
great tenderness, " My dear, one of my last prayers will be 
that you may have as serene and painless a departure as 
mine/' How wonderfully was this prayer soon to be an- 
swered ! He said, " Now I understand, as I never did 
before, what is meant by that promise, Psalm xli. 3, Thou 
wilt make all his bed in his sickness" Before this time he 
had suffered little acute pain, but his disease was of such a 
nature as to allow him no rest. Yet no word of complaint 
or dissatisfaction fell from his lips. He often said, " Why 
should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of 
his sins ? " To his daughter, who was leaving him in the 
morning, he said, " You have been a watcher indeed — ever 
on the alert." 

On the day after he finally went to his bed, he gave his 
last directions about the Seminary, and many little things 
which were on his mind. He seemed to forget nothing, but 



TRANQUIL JOY. 



505 



made suggestions even to the last of matters pertaining to 
the health of the family. On Saturday; October 18th, his 
weakness was extreme, and from this time he positively re- 
fused to take any anodyne. He said he knew that death 
could not be far off, and he wished his mind to be entirely 
free from the effects of stupefying drugs. During the night 
he suffered more pain than at any time previous, but in the 
intervals was perfectly calm and peaceful — more than peace- 
ful — he seemed as happy as if he was already in heaven, and 
talked without intermission in the most delightful way. His 
discourse was much about dying, and he expressed a wish 
that he might pass away on the morrow, which was the 
Lord's Day ; but added, " Just as God sees best/' When 
relieved from pain, he said that such relief was often to be 
attributed to the ministration of angels ; and afterwards, 
" They are always around the dying beds of God's people." 
He repeated part of Watts' s hymn, " for an overcoming 
faith, To cheer my dying hours." He spoke of the precious- 
ness of the word on which God had caused him to hope ; 
"just the same word," said he, "that caused me to hope 
so many years ago, when I was in such distress because I 
thought I had not conviction enough ; and could get no 
comfort till a good minister (the Kev. James Mitchell) told 
me that there was no certain degree of conviction prescribed 
as necessary to salvation ; and it was by hearing this again 
and again that I found comfort." All this with a serene and 
heavenly glow, which can never be described. 

About the same time he said to one of his sons, who in- 
quired whether he was at peace ; " yes ! " with a tone 



506 



THE LAST SABBATH. 



which implied, " How could you doubt it ? " Then he 
added, " No ecstacy — but clear faith. I have been reviewing 
the plan of salvation this morning, and assuring myself that 
I do accept it.- — The transition to a state so unknown is cer- 
tainly awful ; but Christ can prevent the shock. I have 
never been afraid to die, and I have never before seen a time 
so suitable for my departure. I am in the fortieth year of 
my professorship. I have seen all my wishes accomplished. 
God has answered my prayers, even in averting particular 
diseases which I feared. The Seminary has never been in 
so prosperous a state. If I were to recover, it would be for no 
use ; I have seen no man fit for much after eighty. But I 
shall not recover." To others he had said, " My views of 
theological truth are what they have always been/' 

On Sunday he was still weaker, and said that he could 
not last long ; but his mind was just as clear as ever. He 
designated a passage of Scripture, which he wished to hear 
read by one of his children, and when some difficulty oc- 
curred in turning to it, he mentioned the beginning of the 
verse, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect i 
When the family returned from church, and spoke of Dr. 
Hodge's sermon, he was much interested, and said with 
much animation, " He is a noble man." About noon a very 
perceptible sinking took place, so that we looked every mo- 
ment for his last breath. He lay quiet, breathing quick but 
feebly, and with his eyes closed. During Monday the 20th, 
he slumbered, but now and then uttered broken expressions 
which were truly characteristic of him ; such as " We must 
devise something for them," " Penitence and faith." To- 



EUTHANASIA. 



507 



wards night he was seized with a hiccough, which con- 
tinued through the next day ; yet he seemed little annoyed 
by it. His voice was hardly audible, and his eyes were very 
dim. On the morning of Tuesday the 21st, he seemed 
somewhat revived, and talked a little. Though he had some 
return of appetite, he was averse to taking food ; and when 
the physician urged it, asked if it was to strengthen him, 
and spoke of that as useless and absurd. But when told 
that it was only for his temporary comfort, he assented. His 
taste seemed as acute as in health, and he never had greater 
quickness of hearing. After this he lay in the same tran- 
quil state, though perfectly collected in reason, growing 
weaker and weaker, until about six o'clock in the morning 
of Wednesday, October 22d, he ceased to breathe. It was 
observed by his older children that as he drew near to death, 
his countenance assumed more and more the look which he 
had when they could first remember him. To the last he 
was exempt from the marked changes of appearance which 
are common in illness ; his face looked comelier, and as if 
chiseled out of marble. 

The event was the more impressive, because the Synod 
of New Jersey was at the very time assembled in Princeton. 
To this he made frequent allusion, a very short time before 
his death. There were many devotional acts held by this 
body, in reference to the illness of then 1 venerable member. 
An end so blessed, so edifying, so fitted to suggest high 
thoughts of God's covenant faithfulness, could not fail to 
make its deep impression on these servants of Christ. In 
looking back upon the scene, we find nothing absent which 



508 



PRAYER OF THE DYING. 



he could have desired. It was a comment on the words 
which were often upon his lips, How excellent is thy loving 
kindness ! It was, to the letter, a fulfilment of wishes ex- 
pressed by him some years before, in the following devotional 
exercise, which he doubtless penned with reference to his 
own case. 

U PRAYER FOR ONE WHO FEELS THAT HE IS APPROACHING 
THE BORDERS OF ANOTHER WORLD. 

" most merciful God ! I rejoice that thou dost reign 
over the universe with a sovereign sway, so that thou dost 
according to thy will, in the armies of heaven and among 
the inhabitants of the earth. Thou art the Maker of my 
body, and Father of my spirit, and thou hast a perfect right 
to dispose of me, in that manner which will most effectually 
promote thy glory : and I know whatever thou dost is right, 
and wise, and just, and good. And whatever may be my 
eternal destiny, I rejoice in the assurance that thy great 
name will be glorified in me. But as thou hast been pleased 
to reveal thy mercy and thy grace to our fallen miserable 
world ; and as the word of this salvation has been preached 
unto me, inviting me to accept of eternal life, upon the gra- 
cious terms of the Grospel, I do cordially receive the Lord 
Jesus Christ as my Saviour and only Eedeemer, believing 
sincerely the whole testimony which thou hast given respect- 
ing his divine character, his real incarnation, his unspotted 
and holy life, his numerous and beneficent miracles, his ex- 
piatory and meritorious death, and his glorious resurrection 



AN ANSWERED PRATER. 



509 



and ascension. I believe, also, in his supreme exaltation, in 
his prevalent intercession for his chosen people, in his affec- 
tionate care and aid afforded to his suffering members here 
below, and in his second corning to receive his humble fol- 
lowers to dwell with himself in heaven ; and to take ven^ 
geance on his obstinate enemies. My only hope and confi- 
dence of being saved, rests simply on the mediatorial work 
and prevailing intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ ; in 
consequence of which the Holy Spirit is graciously sent to 
make application of Christ's redemption, by working faith in 
us, and repentance unto life : and rendering us meet for the 
heavenly inheritance, by sanctifying us in the whole man, 
soul, body, and spirit. Grant, gracious Grod ! that the rich 
blessings of the new covenant may be freely bestowed on thy 
unworthy servant. I acknowledge that I have no claim to 
thy favour, on account of any goodness in me by nature ; for 
alas ! there dwelleth in me, that is in my flesh, no good 
thing ; nor on account of any works of righteousness done 
by me ; for all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Neither 
am I able to make atonement for any one of my innumerable 
transgressions ; which, I confess before thee, are not only 
many in number, but heinous in their nature, justly deserv- 
ing thy displeasure and wrath ; so that if I were immediately 
sent to hell, thou wouldst be altogether just in my condem- 
nation. Although I trust that I have endeavoured to serve 
thee with some degree of sincerity ; yet whatever good thing 
I have ever done, or even thought, I ascribe entirely to thy 
grace, without which I can do nothing acceptable in thy 
sight. And I am deeply convinced, that my best duties 



510 



PRAYER ANSWERED IN DEATH. 



have fallen far short of the perfection of thy law, and have 
been so mingled with sin in the performance, that I might 
justly be condemned for the most fervent prayer I ever made. 
And I would confess with shame and contrition, that I am 
not only chargeable with sin in the act, but that there is a 
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, 
aiming to bring me into captivity to the law of sin and 
death. This corrupt nature is the source of innumerable 
evil thoughts and desires, damps the exercise of faith and 
love, and stands in the way of well-doing, so that when I 
would do good, evil is present with me. And so deep and 
powerful is this remaining depravity, that all efforts to eradi- 
cate or subdue it, are vain without the aid of divine grace. 
And when at any time I obtain a glimpse of the depth and 
turpitude of the sin of my nature, I am overwhelmed, and 
constrained to exclaim with Job, * I abhor myself and re- 
pent in dust and ashes/ And now, righteous Lord Grod Al- 
mighty, I would not attempt to conceal any of my actual 
transgressions, however vile and shameful they are ; but 
would penitently confess them before thee ; and would plead 
in my defence nothing but the perfect righteousness of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, who died the just for the unjust, to bring 
us near to God. For his sake alone do I ask or expect the 
rich blessings necessary to my salvation. For although I am 
unworthy, he is most worthy ; though I have no righteous- 
ness, he has provided by his expiatory death, and by his holy 
life, a complete justifying righteousness, in which spotless 
robe I pray that I may be clothed ; so that thou my righteous 
Judge wilt see no sin in me, but wilt acquit me from every 



PRAYER OF THE AGED. 



511 



accusation, and justify me freely by thy grace, through the 
righteousness of my Lord and Saviour, with whom thou art 
ever well pleased. And my earnest prayer is, that Jesus 
may save me from my sins, as well as from their punishment ; 
that I may be redeemed from all iniquity, as well as from 
the condemnation of the law ; that the work of sanctification 
may be carried on in my soul by thy Word and Spirit, until it 
be perfected at thine appointed time. And grant, Lord ! 
that as long as I am in the body, I may make it my con- 
stant study and chief aim to glorify thy name, both with 
soul and body, which are no longer mine but thine ; for I am 
'bought with a price' — not with silver and gold, but with 
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish 
and without spot. Enable me to let my light so shine that 
others seeing my good works shall glorify thy name. ! 
make use of me as an humble instrument of advancing thy 
kingdom on earth, and promoting the salvation of immortal 
souls. If thou hast appointed sufferings for me here below, 
I beseech thee to consider my weakness, and let thy chas- 
tisements be those of a loving father, that I may be made 
partaker of thy holiness. And let me not be tempted above 
what I am able to bear, but with the temptation make a way 
of escape. 

" most merciful God ! cast me not off in the time of 
old age ; forsake me not when my strength declineth. Now, 
when I am old and gray-headed forsake me not ; but let thy 
grace be sufficient for me, and enable me to bring forth fruit 
even in old age. May my hoary head be found in the ways 
of righteousness ! Preserve my mind from dotage and im- 



512 



ANSWERED PRAYER. 



becility, and my body fiom protracted disease and excru- 
ciating pain. Deliver me from despondency and discourage- 
ment in my declining years, and enable me to bear affliction 
with patience, fortitude, and perfect submission to thy holy- 
will. Lift upon me perpetually the light of thy reconciled 
countenance, and cause me to rejoice in thy salvation, and in 
the hope of thy glory. May the peace that passeth all un- 
derstanding be constantly diffused through my soul, so that 
my mind may remain calm through all the storms and vicis- 
situdes of life. 

" As, in the course of nature, I must be drawing near 
to my end, and as I know I must soon put off this taber- 
nacle, I do humbly and earnestly beseech thee, Father of 
mercies, to prepare me for this inevitable and solemn event 
Fortify my mind against the terrors of death. Give me, if 
it please thee, an easy passage through the gate of death- 
Dissipate the dark clouds and mists which naturally hang 
over the grave, and lead me gently down into the gloomy 
valley. my kind Shepherd, who hast tasted the bitterness 
of death for me, and who knowest how to sympathize with 
and succour the sheep of thy pasture, be thou present to 
guide, to support, and to comfort me. Illumine with beams 
of heavenly light the valley and shadow of death, so that I 
may fear no evil. When heart and flesh fail, be thou the 
strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Let not my 
courage fail in the trying hour. Permit not the great adver- 
sary to harass my soul in the last struggle, but make me a 
conqueror and more than a conqueror in this fearful conflict. 
I humbly ask that my reason may be continued to the last, 



REFLECTIONS. 



513 



and if it be thy will, that I may be so comforted and sup- 
ported, that I may leave a testimony in favour of the 
reality of religion, and thy faithfulness in fulfilling thy 
gracious promises ; and that others of thy servants who 
may follow after, may be encouraged by my example, to 
commit themselves boldly to the guidance and keeping of 
the Shepherd of Israel. 

"And when my spirit leaves this clay tenement, Lord 
Jesus receive it ! Send some of the blessed angels to convoy 
my inexperienced soul to the mansion which thy love has pre- 
pared. And ! let me be so situated, though in the lowest 
rank, that I may behold thy glory. May I have an abun- 
dant entrance administered unto me into the kingdom of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; for whose sake and in 
whose name, I ask all these things. Amen."* 

The unvarnished narrative of such a scene might per- 
haps claim to be left to make its own impression ; but there 
are a few reflections which force themselves upon our thank- 
ful minds, and which shall be simply and briefly expressed. 

The first is, that death approached in a great degree dis- 
armed of its ordinary terrors. Here was nothing ghastly. 
Though not painless, his dying bed was exempt from agony. 
He was surrounded by his family, was waited on by the wife 
of his bosom, and was in full possession of his intellectual 
powers. 

Another remark is, that in his last hours there was no 
vacillation, as to the truth of the system which he had spent 
his life in maintaining. He may be said to have reasserted it 
with bia last breath. 

* Thoughts on Religious Experience, p. 307. 



514 



REFLECTIONS. 



But more striking than all, is it, that in dying he was 
pre-eminently true to the natural simplicity of his character. 
Not one syllable was there for effect. All was as in his days 
of health. He looked collectedly on the awful change, and 
met the enemy as one whom he had long surveyed and was 
now to overcome. 



CHAPTEE NINETEENTH. 



1851. 



FUNERAL SERVICES, AND OTHER TESTIMONIALS OF RESPECT. 

REAT solemnity was added to the scenes which have 



^ just been reported, by the fact that the Synod of New 
Jersey was meeting in Princeton at the time. This venera- 
ble body adjourned to attend the funeral services, which took 
place on Friday, the 24th of October. The concourse of 
awed and mourning friends was extraordinary. Many mem- 
bers of the New- York and Philadelphia Synods were present, 
as well as numerous fellow Christians of other persuasions. 
The Synod of New Jersey, after meeting in the Chapel, 
assumed the principal part in the solemnities. The Presby- 
tery of New Brunswick accompanied the remains as pall- 
bearers. Then followed the family, and Professors, the Di- 
rectors, the students, the clergy and a multitude of mourning 
friends. The assembly gathered in the First Presbyterian 
Church, where the galleries were filled with the students of 
the two institutions, and the body of the house with the 




516 



FUNERAL SOLEMNITIES. 



Synod, while the aisles and even the pulpit stairs were occu- 
pied by the attendant throng. 

A prayer by the Eev. Dr. Murray opened +he service. 
The students of the Seminary then sang a hymn Part of 
the fifteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians 
was read. The hymn, 'Why should we mourn departed 
friends/ was sung. After which, in pursuance of a wish ex- 
pressed by the departed, a funeral discourse was delivered by 
the Eev. John McDowell, D. D., the oldest Director. His 
most appropriate text was Eevejation xiv. 13. "And 1 
heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed 
are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth ; yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours : 
and their works do follow them." The preacher pointed out 
the prominent marks which indicate the character referred to 
— he that is in the Lord ; and then remarked, that blessed- 
ness was predicted of him who sustained this relation in life 
and in death. The nature of this blessedness was a second 
topic — a blessedness in union with Christ ; a blessedness in 
dying while thus united with the living head ; a blessed rest 
after all the toils of life, and in the full enjoyment of heaven, 
whither every good work followed the believer, and received 
its gracious reward. The beautiful and appropriate theme 
was treated in the most practical manner, with much earnest- 
ness and feeling ; and there appeared to be but one impression 
among the auditors of the entire fitness both of the subject 
and its treatment to the solemn occasion. It was just such 
a sermon as should be preached on a funeral occasion, and 
we doubt not, that the deceased, could he have heard it, 



THE PHOCESSION. 



517 



would have expressed his approbation. After the sermon 
proper, the preacher read an extract of a letter which he 
had received from one of the Professors in the Seminary a 
few days previous to the death of Dr. Alexander, in which it 
was stated, as the twice repeated injunction of the deceased, 
that the funeral sermon should contain no delineation of his 
character and no eulogy. This inhibition, so much in keeping 
with his general character, was in fact his eulogy. It was so 
felt to be by the audience, although the preacher must have 
felt embarrassed by a restriction which precluded him from 
expatiating in so fruitful a field. He confined himself ac- 
cordingly to a few historical details. 

66 After the religious services in the church," says a con- 
temporary account, "the body was borne by ministers of 
the G-ospel to its burial. The arrangements for the proces- 
sion had been made with great skill, and the whole was con- 
ducted without the slightest confusion. It was one of the 
most impressive spectacles we have ever seen. In the middle 
of the broad street fronting the College and Church, the 
students of the College, with their Professors, amounting to 
more than two hundred and fifty, walked four abreast ; then 
followed the Synod of New Jersey and clergy from the 
neighbouring cities and towns, numbering more than one 
hundred clergymen ; then the corpse, borne by members of 
the Presbytery of New Brunswick, and accompanied by the 
sons of the deceased ; these were followed by the students 
in the Theological Seminary, with the Directors, amounting 
to about one hundred and forty, together with citizens. 
There were no females in the procession, although many 
were in attendance at the church. 



518 



THE PLACE OF BURIAL. 



" The numerous cortege formed an extended circle around 
the grave, and after the body was deposited, the audience 
were briefly addressed by Eev. Dr. Magie of Elizabethtown. 
His remarks were most happily conceived, and uttered in 
silvery and tremulous tones. In speaking of depositing all 
that was mortal of this good and great man in the silent 
tomb, of the many evidences of usefulness he had left behind 
him, and of the halo of light which the doctrine of the res- 
urrection shed upon the grave, he with difficulty commanded 
his feelings. Had it not been for this self-imposed restraint, 
he could have dissolved the large audience in tears. One of 
the most striking features of the solemn ceremonial was the 
six sons of the deceased, three of them in the ministry, 
standing side by side on the margin of that grave which held 
the mortal part of their venerated parent, to whose instruc- 
tions and example they were so deeply indebted. It was a 
funeral never to be forgotten. It was a funeral without 
gloom, which bore the thoughts quite to the verge of heaven. 
The light of the resurrection and of immortality seemed to 
dispel the shades of death and the grave, and the spectators 
of the scene could say, and no doubt did say, c Let me die 
the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his/ " 
The closing prayer was offered by the Eev. Dr. Plumer. 

We must be permitted to add, that the brief address of 
Dr. Magie, at the grave, was eminently simple, graceful and 
pathetic. The throng had become great, but they now 
formed a hollow square, the students of the Seminary on the 
west, the College students on the east, the Synod on the 
north, and the citizens on the south. The sun of a match- 



TESTIMONIES. 



519 



less autumnal day was just going down, as the beloved de- 
posit was lowered into the earth which contains the relics 
of Burr, Edwards, Davies, Witherspoon, Smith, Green and 
Miller. Dr. Magie broke the silence by words something like 
these : 

"There is the end of eighty years — of sixty years of 
faithful service in the Christian ministry — of forty years of 
eminence in our highest institution of sacred learning. That 
place looks cold, and dark and gloomy to lay such a man in ; 
but it is just as good a place as that in which his Master 
rested. The dust we lay here is precious. It has been the 
dwelling-place of an immortal soul — it has been the temple 
of the Holy Ghost." A few other touching words were 
spoken. 

It would be difficult, and might even seem invidious, to 
single out any from the numerous discourses which were de- 
livered from the pulpits of his pupils and other friends, in 
every part of the country. To some of these we may be in- 
debted for a few corroborative testimonials, in another place. 
The same remark applies with less force to the acts of public 
bodies. Several of these, on account of statements which 
they contain, deserve to be perpetuated. 

The Synod of New Jersey, being on the very spot, natu- 
rally took the lead in expressions of filial respect. 

EXTRACT FROM THE^ MINUTES OF THE SYNOD OF NEW 
JERSEY, IN SESSION AT PRINCETON, N. J., OCT. 22d, 1851. 

" The Committee appointed to bring in a paper expres- 
sive of the views of the Synod, with reference to the death 



520 



SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 



of the Eev. Archibald Alexander, D. D., made the following 
report, which was adopted and ordered to be published in 
the New- York Observer. 

" Since the Synod opened its sessions in this place, Grod 
in his wise and holy Providence has seen fit to take the Eev. 
Archibald Alexander, D. D., to himself, in the eightieth year 
of his age. 

" This event has been preceded by an illness of a few 
weeks, during which the venerable man gradually declined, 
until about six o'clock this morning, he sweetly fell asleep in 
Jesus, and was gathered in as a shock of corn fully ripe. 
His departure was so gentle, and attended by so entire an 
absence of distress of any sort, that the family were scarcely 
able to fix upon the precise moment when the spirit was re- 
leased, and went up to hear the plaudit, — 6 "Well done good 
and faithful servant, thou has been faithful over a few things, 
I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thouin to the 
joy of thy Lord/ 

" This is not the time for a sketch, however brief, of the 
life and character of one who occupied so elevated a position, 
and had been so eminently useful in our beloved Church 
Nothing more can be done than simply to say that the cir- 
cumstances connected with the death of Dr. Alexander — a 
death, in all respects so befitting his previous life — ought to 
be regarded by the members of this Synod, as highly instruct- 
ive and impressive. It has occurred during the regular sit- 
tings of our body, and while a large number of his brethren 
and former pupils were assembled to hear the first tidings of 
its announcement, and make arrangements to attend the 



TESTIMONIES. 



521 



honoured dust to its resting-place in the grave. It was a 
meeting of which the deceased himself spoke with tender 
interest > and which it is hoped may become memorable for 
the happy influence produced upon many hearts. 

"Dr. Alexander was the first Professor in the Theo- 
logical Seminary in this town, and in the bosom of our 
Synod. This office he was permitted by the favour of the 
Great Head of the church to fill with distinguished credit to 
himself, and with equal benefit to others, for upwards of 
thirty-nine years. Placed over the Institution in its infancy, 
he had the satisfaction of seeing it increase in numbers and 
usefulness, until it has become a blessing to the land and to 
the world. A large proportion of all the clerical members 
of this Synod had the privilege of sitting at his feet and 
drinking in instruction from those lips which are now sealed 
in death. Whatever of influence many of us have gained, 
or power of doing good we have exerted, are due very much, 
under God, to the labours and prayers of this distinguished 
Professor. 

" A year ago Dr. Alexander was with us in the meetings 
of our Synod, to cheer us by his presence, and aid us with 
his counsels. Never shall we forget the address which he 
delivered on the evening of our Devotional Exercises, and 
which, as many at the time remarked, was characterized by 
almost all the vigour and unction of his earlier days. We 
listened to him with mingled emotions of delight and sorrow 
— delight that we could once more listen to the well-known 
voice — and sorrow that we should probably see his face no 
more. This was evidently his own anticipation, and so the 
event has proved. 



522 



SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 



" The death of Dr. Alexander will reach the secret place 
of tears, in multitudes of different and distant parts of our 
land. Missionaries in China, India, Africa, and the Islands 
of the Sea, will receive the intelligence and cry, My father, 
my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof ! 
Good men here and there will call to mind his venerable 
appearance, and bless God for giving to the Church such a 
minister. 

" When such a Prince and Great One falls in Israel, it 
is proper for devout men to cany him to his grave, and make 
great lamentation over him. Grieve for him we cannot — we 
dare not, but surely we may grieve for ourselves and for the 
rising ministry. When we reflect upon his long and useful 
life as an ambassador for Christ, begun when he was but 
nineteen years of age, and extending through a period of more 
than sixty years, all spent in successful efforts to build up 
the kingdom of the Redeemer among men, and retaining its 
mild and genial lustre to the last, and add to this the sweet 
serenity of the closing scene, we feel constrained to unite in 
devout thanksgiving to the King of Zion. We bless God 
for such a life, and with equal warmth would we bless God 
for such a death. 

"In this our departed father was pre-eminent. He 
followed his pupils when they went forth to their work, and 
kept himself acquainted with all their trials and successes. 
He could tell where they were, and how tbey were. 

" Our beloved Seminary is bereaved, and though sadness 
fills our own hearts, we cannot do otherwise than tender our 
affectionate sympathies to the Professors that remain. 



TESTIMONIES. 



523 



Within two short years, Dr. Miller and Dr. Alexander have 
gone down to the grave. United pleasantly together in a 
long and honourable life ; in death they are not much divided. 
May the spirit of Elijah rest on Elisha ! But all is not lost. 
We have still brethren beloved to conduct the studies of our 
Samuels and Timothys ; above all we have the mercy and the 
faithfulness of a covenant keeping Grod to confide in. It is 
still permitted us to say, The Lord liveth, and blessed be our 
Bock, and let the God of our salvation be exalted. 

"Attest, B. K. Bodgebs, 

" Stated Clerk of the Synod of New Jersey." 

It is a truly pleasing reflection to those who are most 
nearly concerned, that the party divisions of our Presbyterian 
body seemed to have lost all such influence as could prevent 
a hearty condolence in those who fell into the other branch 
of the Church. No public testimonial was therefore more 
grateful than that of the New School Synod of New- York 
and New Jersey ; concerning which we borrow from a journal 
of the time as follows : 

" Bloomfteld, Thursday, Oct 23d 

" At the close of the pubiic services in the Synod last 
evening, an announcement was made from the pulpit of the 
death of the venerable Dr. Alexander, and the concluding 
prayer was offered with special reference to the fact that so 
great and good a man had fallen in Israel. This morning at 
the prayer meeting the subject was again renewed. The 
moderator led in prayer in reference to it, and various touch- 
ing and interesting statements were made by Dr. Cox, the 



524 SYNOD OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY. 



Eev. John N. Lewis, Dr. Campbell, &c., as to Dr. Alexander's 
literary and theological history. Afterwards a committee con- 
sisting of the Eev. J. F. Steams, D. D., T. H. Skinner, D. D., 
A. H. Campbell, D. D., were appointed to draft appropriate 
resolutions. Among other circumstances that showed the 
high estimate in which the deceased was held, we noticed his 
likeness which had been hung up in the Synod's place of 
meeting, where all could refresh their recollections of one so 
dear in life, and so lamented in death. A meeting was also 
called of all the members of the Synod, who had been his 
pupils in the Seminary." 

The resolutions were these : 

" Resolved, That we have heard with profound sorrow, 
not unmingled with grateful praise, of the peaceful, saint-like 
death of the venerable Dr. Alexander. 

" Resolved, That the rare constellation of excellencies 
which met and blended in the life and character of this 
eminent servant of God ; his child-like simplicity, warm- 
hearted piety, rich religious experience, fervid Christian 
eloquence, together with a sound practical judgment, fine 2 
natural endowments, accomplished scholarship, and fidelity 
and perseverance in the discharge of every duty, conspired to 
make him one of the highest ornaments which have adorned 3 
the Church of Christ in our country. The cause of Theolo- 
gical Education, to which his ripest years were devoted, 
found in him one of its most active and successful promoters ; 
and the Christian Ministry, especially of the Presbyterian 
Church, is under an inestimable and lasting obligation to his 
truly apostolic service and example. 



TESTIMONIES. 



525 



u Resolved, That in this affecting dispensation of Divine 
Providence, we recognize a call to new fidelity and watchful- 
ness in the service of Christ, and devoutly pray that the 
Great Head of the Church would make it a means of spir- 
itual blessings, not only to ourselves but to the school of the 
Prophets, so highly favoured of God in commencing its ex- 
istence under the guidance of such a teacher, and to the 
whole Presbyterian family throughout the land, to whom in 
common his memory will ever be fragrant. 

" Resolved, That we tender our affectionate sympathy to 
the bereaved family of the deceased, and would crave the 
privilege to mingle our tears as at the grave of a father. 

" John 1ST. Lewis, Stated Clerk." 

From his native State the tribute of respect was warm 
and significant. In communicating it, the Eev. Dr. McFar- 
land, the Stated Clerk, uses the following language : " I feel 
as though I ought to embrace the occasion to say a few 
words for myself. I doubt whether any, out of the family 
connection, feel the death of youi beloved father more 
deeply than I do. There was no man on earth for whom I 
felt such love. Ever since I knew him, he has been my 
counsellor in all the important changes of my life. I felt 
unbounded confidence in the soundness of his judgment, and 
he always took a great interest in my affairs. 

"I felt under obligations to him in common with others 
for his invaluable instructions ; but when I was associated 
with him, I enjoyed his personal friendship to a degree which 
I had no reason to expect, and of which he gave me many 



526 



SYNOD OF VIRGINIA. 



substantial proofs, and I regard it as one of the richest bless- 
ings of my life. I will thank you to convey to my beloved 
friend, your mother, the assurance of the sympathies of a 
heart that feels bereaved in some humble measure like her 
own. God grant her the abundant consolations of his grace. 
Please also to present my kind sympathies to your sister and 
to your brothers." 

" The Synod of Virginia in Session at Norfolk, Va., > 

November 1st, 1851. > 

" It having pleased the Great Head of the Church to re- 
move by death, on the 22d ult., the venerable and reverend 
Dr. Archibald Alexander, from his long and useful labours 
on earth to his reward in heaven : this Synod, in whose 
bounds he had been born and reared, and of which, during 
the early part of his ministry, he had been a valued member, 
feel themselves called upon to testify their affectionate re- 
membrance of his great excellence as a faithful servant of 
Jesus Christ ; and to record on their Minutes the mournful 
bereavement which the whole Church, and this Synod in 
particular, feel, in the death of so eminent and useful a 
minister of Christ. His character as a faithful and successful 
preacher of the Gospel for more than half a century, and 
his eminent services as a teacher of Theology in the Prince- 
ton Seminary, from its foundation till his death, are known 
to the entire Church of Christ in our own country, and to 
most of the Evangelical Churches in Europe. 

" c The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree ; he 
shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted 
in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our 



MRS. ALEXANDER. 



527 



God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age ; they 
shall be fat and flourishing : to show that the Lord is up- 
right ; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in 
him/ 

" Kesolved, That the Stated Clerk of Synod transmit to 
the family of Dr. Alexander a copy of this record, with the 
assurance of the tender sympathy of Synod in their affliction. 

" The foregoing is a true extract from the minutes of 
Synod. 

" Francis McFarland, Stated Clerk. 
" To the family of the late Dr. A. Alexander/' 

We need not offer an apology for adding a few para- 
graphs in this place respecting Mrs. Alexander, who survived 
her husband less than one year. So united were they in 
their lives, so helpful, and as it were necessary to one ano- 
ther, and so seldom seen apart, that those who remember 
either will willingly read of both. 

Janetta Waddel was the second daughter and fourth 
child of the celebrated James Waddel, D. D., already men- 
tioned in this work. She was born in Augusta county, Vir- 
ginia, but was early removed to the other side of the Blue 
Eidge, where she spent her happy youth in the county of 
Louisa. As she grew up she was greatly admired for her 
beauty, grace, and mental promise. During the long blind- 
ness of her father, she was eyes to his infirmity, acting as his 
amanuensis, and making him acquainted with the contents 
of many volumes. He taught her to pronounce Latin, at a 
very early age, that she might read works to him in that lan- 



5°8 MRS. ALEXANDER. 

guage. Under his guidance her education was conducted, 
partly by the aid of domestic teachers ; for she never went 
abroad to school. In early youth she made a profession of 
her faith in Christ ; but of her private exercises at this time, 
no particular account has been preserved. 

As before related, Dr. Alexander turned aside from a 
journey, and gained her plighted affection. She was young 
and blooming, full of vivacity, and the charm of all his 
house. Matronly virtues in process of time took the place 
of youthful attraction ; but we may be allowed to say, she 
was always lovely, as a wife, a mother, and a friend. It is 
impossible to describe what she was to her husband. It was 
not merely affection that she bestowed, though the tender- 
ness of her attachment was anxious if not overweening ; she 
rendered wise counsel ; she assumed every domestic care 
with untiring industry, frugality, and hospitable warmth ; 
she disguised her own solicitudes, to cheer him when he de- 
sponded or was ill ; she gave her fall soul to all his pleasures 
and all his pains ; she was permitted to be as a ministering 
angel beside his dying bed. Through God's singular mercy, 
she enjoyed life-long health and spirits. Her very counte- 
nance and greeting shed sunshine over the house and its 
guests ; and the earlier students of the Seminary remember 
her as a mother or an elder sister. 

Without pretension, she was well informed in the usual 
range of female literature. In conversation she excelled, 
being free, full of vivacity and humour, and ready to cheer 
the hearts of all who approached her. It is impossible for 
her children to think of her, without an affectionate and 



&RS. ALEXANDER. 529 

pensive delight. Into her bosom they familiarly poured all 
their pleasures and grief, from infancy till some of them at- 
tained to gray hairs. Her mind was quick, and her memory 
remarkable. In later years her reading was chiefly of a re- 
ligious kind, and her taste was for a class of authors who are 
savoury and evangelical. It is pleasant to recur to her fa- 
vourite books : Wilson's Sacra Privata, Bennet's Divine 
Oratory, Traill's Sermons on the Throne of Grace, Flavel's 
Treatises, Newton's Cardiphonia, Cowper's Poems and Let- 
ters, and Boston's Fourfold State. In the school which 
Providence had given her, she grew up to a modest, gentle 
and consistent piety. Her coincidence of views with her 
husband was perfect, and she shared his interest in all that 
concerned Christ's kingdom. During the first years of the 
Seminary she was active and successful in gathering support 
for needy students. The humble poor found her bountiful, 
assiduous and constant. She delighted in religious services, 
and gave them much of her time. 

The bereavement which made her a widow was a stroke 
which paralyzed her energies in some degree. Yet her resig- 
nation was absolute. She uttered no word of murmuring ; 
she even showed a melancholy smile as she turned to her 
darkened house and to the service of her family. But 
a shade had fallen on her, and she never was the buoy- 
ant person she had been. Still she pursued her solitary 
path with uncomplaining diligence and kindly affection. It 
pleased God to make her departure eminently peaceful, as 
if in answer to prayers which we have recorded. It took 
place after a brief illness, accompanied with few violent 



MAJOR ALEXANDER. 



symptoms, on the 7th day of September, 1852. Though the 
nature of her malady prevented her from much expression of 
her views, she has left her lamenting family fully confident 
of her Christian character and eternal peace. 

The surviving children of Dr. Alexander are six sons 
and a daughter. Of the sons, three are ministers of the 
Gospel, two are lawyers, and one is a physician. In addition 
to changes already mentioned, it only remains to be said, 
that the last of Dr. Alexander's brothers, Major John Alex- 
ander, of Lexington, departed this life in 1853, while these 
labours were near their end. We annex a tribute to his 
memory, from the pen of his pastor, the Rev. Dr. White : 

" Major Alexander was the son of Wm. Alexander, Esq., 
of Rockbridge, Virginia, and brother of the late Dr. Alexander, 
of Princeton. He enjoyed the benefit of early religious in- 
struction, and from his early youth was remarkable for integ- 
rity, industry, enlightened economy, and true benevolence. 
These virtues rendered him successful in getting an ample 
estate, and what was far better, gave him an unusual hold on 
the confidence and love of the community in which his whole 
life was passed. His high moral qualities were the result of 
religious training and religious principle. At an early period 
of life, he embraced Christ as he is freely offered in the Gos- 
pel, and served him as a member of the Presbyterian Church 
for more than fifty, and as a Ruling Elder for forty-seven 
years. His devotion to the Church of Christ was enlightened, 
warm and generous. He had long been the senior Elder in I 
a Session of twelve members. He was no less active and 
liberal in his efforts to promote the cause of sound learning. 



MAJOR ALEXANDER. 



531 



As the generous friend, and senior member of the Board of 
Trustees of Washington College, his memory is held in grate- 
ful remembrance. The same is also true of the relations he 
sustained and the part he acted toward the Ann Smith Fe- 
male Academy of this place. He served his country with 
unswerving fidelity as an officer, in the War of 1812, and 
for many years as Brigade Inspector for Western Virginia. 

" In a word, the various relations he sustained both to the 
State and to the Church, the true patriotism, the sterling 
integrity, the eminent good sense, the modest, but enlight- 
ened and warm piety with which the high duties, flowing 
from these relations, were all discharged, render his death a 
very great public calamity. 

" Although he had reached the seventy-eighth year of his 
age, he had retired from none of the active duties of life — 
for, 'his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated/ No 
one ever thought of the c good Major/ as he was familiarly 
called, as an old man. Though old in years, he was young 
in spirit. He possessed the wisdom of the one beautifully 
blended with the vivacity of the other. Whether you met 
him in the social circle or the street, at the prayer-meeting or 
in the great congregation, you were always cheered by the 
cloudless sun-light which his peaceful spirit threw over his 
benignant face. Never did there live and die a man whose 
hospitality, both to friends and to strangers, was more un- 
pretending and generous. His house was the home of all 
who ever sought and deserved his confidence. He was liter- 
ally happy in contributing to the happiness of others. — 



532 



MAJOR ALEXANDER. 



Thousands scattered all through the States of this Confeder- 
acy, yet live to testify to the truth of this statement. 

" His lonely widow, with three sons and two daughters, 
survive in deepest affliction. They mourn — the Church ; the 
whole community mourn, but not as they who have no hope. 
Full of years, yet strong in faith, he has gone to join his 
distinguished brother, his estimable, pious sister, who so re- 
cently preceded him, and with them to make a part of that 
great multitude which no man can number, who are before 
God's throne, ' having washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb/ 

" He died of apoplexy. Consequently his fall was sudden, 
but it was safe. He was not called to endure protracted pain 
and sickness ; nor were his loved family called to suffer from 
prolonged solicitude. Like Enoch he 6 walked with God, and 
he was not ; for God took him/ Truly it was much more 
like, a translation than death." 



CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 



CONCLUDING SUMMAEY. 

IN conducting the narrative part of our labour which Las 
now been brought to a close, we have chosen to introduce 
general sketches of mind and manners, wherever they seemed 
to be naturally suggested ; and this has made it less neces- 
sary to annex a formal and extended delineation of character. 
Yet there are some points which require a concluding notice, 
such as we shall now attempt in the way of general summary ; 
with the full conviction that in no part of our task is there so 
much danger of being misled by a filial bias. A sense of 
this has led us in the preceding chapter to borrow from others 
expressions of eulogy much stronger than we durst use in our 
own person. 

Of those who peruse this narrative some were personally 
conversant with him of whom it treats ; but of these the 
greater part remember only his years of decline. To most 
his very figure reappears in memory as bowed down with age. 
A small number can recall the image of one who was bright 
and buoyant and whose frame beyond most was informed 



534 



PERSON. 



with a spirit of life. The universal testimony of aged persons 
is that in his youth he possessed a high degree of manly 
beauty. His stature, which was precisely five feet and seven 
inches, was certainly not commanding, but his limbs were 
shapely and well compacted, and the whole impression was 
that of symmetrical balance. His walk and motions were 
too much swayed by the inward pulses of feeling to be either 
staid or graceful. But the head was unquestionably one to 
be remembered. A high and spacious forehead, receding 
into deep angles among an abundance of nutbrown hair, an 
eye of dark hazel, a delicately chiseled nose, a mouth of sin- 
gularly variable expression before the ravages of age had 
caused it to fall in, and a complexion of uncommon delicacy 
and transparence, combined to produce a physiognomy which 
no one of numerous portraits has reproduced. But the dead 
face was nothing. There was a lighting up of the speaking 
surfaces by the internal glow, which continued long after the 
grace of contour and colour had departed. This was a 
large part of that eloquence, which was felt in his conversa- 
tion and public discourses. The gleam of his piercing eye, 
sometimes rapidly roving, but often long fixing itself with a 
peculiar search of expression, added indescribably to the ef- 
fect of what , he uttered. And there were times when an 
illumination overspread his features, under strong emotion, 
which we have very seldom seen. As days advanced, he be- 
came more wrinkled and haggard ; his teeth were early lost ; 
and he acquired a stoop in the shoulders. In his latest 
years, he had better health and even grew fleshy, but except 
the eye and the expression, there was little to remind of his 
former self. 



HEALTH MANNERS. 



53£ 



The most formidable threatenings of his health were in 
his early life. The middle portion, as we have already stated, 
was annoyed by numerous dyspeptic and nervous symptoms, 
which caused discomfort rather than alarm. He never had 
a greater sense of health than in the years immediately pre- 
ceding his last illness. This is wonderful, when we recur to 
his fixed habit of taking no exercise. He was far from pre- 
scribing this method to others, but either some obscure in- 
stinct pointed out to him the course which in his case would 
conduce to longevity and comfort, or the strength of original 
stamina availed to overmaster a series of influences which in 
ninety-nine instances out of a hundred would have proved fatal. 
We certainly never knew any one who quaffed the cup of 
mere physical life with more zest than he, in the moments 
when he was exempt from the depressions already often men- 
tioned. And it was delightful cause of thankfulness to their 
children that their beloved mother retained to so unusual a 
length of days her youthful freshness and animation. They 
were early risers and plain livers, but perfectly free from all 
dietetic hobbies and whimsies. 

In recalling the natural traits and character of Dr. Al- 
exander, all persons seem at once to alight on his remarkable 
simplicity. It is a quality which defies description. "We 
believe that no child could be more free from affectation. It 
was no fruit of study, principle or purpose ; it was naked na- 
ture. In all our lives we never saw any one who so com- 
pletely did just what he liked ; and yet without cynicism or 
invasion of others. He was what he appeared to be ; if this 
gave offence — he could not help it. This naturalness showed 



536 



MODESTY. 



itself in his dress, his carriage, his gesture, his tones, his 
style of writing. In early life he was shy and bashful, and 
there was always a discernible trace of this. Though his 
tell-tale face generally revealed his feelings, he had a great 
talent of silence. There were some things of which he never 
spoke ; as of his pecuniary affairs, his invitations to impor- 
tant posts, his devotional exercises, his success in preaching. 
Secrets confided to him were buried in the grave. 

We suppose him to have been a man of true modesty. Not 
only in a sense which we lament to say requires to be recom- 
mended — for we believe no one ever heard him relate a story 
which might not have fallen from a virgin's hps — but in the 
common acceptation of moralists. He uniformly shrunk into 
the back ground. He neither sought praise nor tolerated it ; 
but this he was wont to ascribe more to a sort of pride than to 
humility. He in no instance ran after the great, or addicted 
himself to the ministry of the rich and famous, or sat prom- 
inent on platforms, or shouldered himself into the van of 
popular enterprises. It is believed that he lost nothing in 
favour or even reputation by such a reserve. Men of the 
world were often struck by a self-retirement which is so un- 
common. This was well expressed by that great ornament 
of the legal profession, George Wood, Esq., of New- York. 
In speaking of Daniel Webster, this learned jurist and acute 
observer says : " The people can distinguish between pride 
or ostentation and that kind of retired habit which results 
from diffidence or deep reflection. Some of the most retired 
men I have ever known have been the most free from vanity 
and prkle. Witness the late Dr. Alexander of Princeton, 



SOCIAL TRAITS. 



537 



one of the most modest men that ever lived ; yet no one 
ever approached him without the conviction that he was a 
truly great man."* That he was reserved is certain ; that 
herSKas. sometimes silent and distant has often been said ; but 
it ought to be added that in such silence there was no as- 
sumption of dignity, and not a vestige of sullenness. When 
he shrunk into himself, it was from some great burden on his 
spirits ; for in the presence of the very same persons he 
would suddenly come out of his temporary gloom with a 
spring and suddenness as fitful as the moods of infancy. No 
man had less of what may be called moroseness. 

The kindliness of his temper was known to all with whom 
he ever exchanged hospitalities. He was easily pleased, and 
even to an extreme ready to be interested in whatever inter- 
ested a friend. If his host were a farmer, he was untiring in 
looking at his grounds, crops and stock ; if he were a scholar, 
quite as much delighted with his library or his writings. 
Every where he was the welcomed friend of children ; among 
them he became a child himself. In his own house these 
traits of course manifested themselves in a thousand ways 
which cannot be exposed to the public. The sacredness of 
relation to a beloved wife does not admit of delineation ; its 
tributes of affection were infinitely above the blandishments 
of a juvenile attachment. They were all the world to each 
other ; and each had that which was complementary of the 
other's character. Surely never were there children on hap- 
pier terms with their parents. They reverenced their father, 

* Speech of George Wood, Esq., before a Committee of the friends of 
Daniel Webster, New-York, May 1852, page 10. 



538 



BENIGNITY. 



but their approach to him was perfectly free. His door was 
always open, and he listened to evert childish report and 
narrative, with a burst of unaffected glee such as they never 
can forget or see again. In earlier years he joined in their 
sports, and he never grew too old to be as loquacious as 
themselves about all their innocent pleasures. When one 
of them entered his study — always without a signal — how 
gaily, how brightly, would he look around from his pen or 
his book : and how would the smile caused by any little do- 
mestic story irradiate his face, even when he went on with 
his labour ! There was nothing in his character which so 
much caused his loss to be felt in the circle of his intimates 
as this unfeigned sympathy with what was interesting to 
those around him. It was an intense humanity, which enli- 
vened all his words, gestures and acts. This kept him to the 
very close freely acquainted with passing events, as well of 
the village and neighbourhood as of the Church and world. 
It shone out in his regards for his pupils. Every new stu- 
dent was reported at the fireside. He habitually looked on 
them all with a benignant allowance, and took no pleasure in 
descanting on their faults ; indeed his judgment of them 
leaned towards the side of undue favour. He followed them 
in their wanderings, and met them after the lapse of years 
with hearty and often loud salutations. From all this it 
may be gathered that in his brighter davs. and these were 
the more numerous, he lived in a perpetual state of genial 
animation. The reverse was always to be traced to physical 
causes, and to the morbid susceptibility of a temperament 
suspended on nerves which trembled at a breeze. Connected 



NATURAL POWERS. 



539 



with this exuberance of feeling was the childlike sincerity 
and transparent candour, which did not even know how to 
adopt a mask. If the playfulness of his evening hours ad- 
mitted of description, it would add unusual colours of in- 
terest to our imperfect sketch. These peculiarities often 
surprised new acquaintances, who had previously known him 
only from his works, and who approached him as a man of 
learning and a grave divine. 

The mental elasticity of which we have spoken had its 
share in all the labours of his research and all his attain- 
ments of knowledge. In new fields he evinced for many 
years the inquisitiveness of boyhood. According to the re- 
port of his friends, this was what attracted the attention of 
his teachers while he was in early youth. It is true they 
descried also the promise of faculties which were yet to be 
developed. His powers seem to have attained maturity in 
the morning of his life. ]STo extravagance or indiscretion has 
been charged upon his language or preaching at the age of 
nineteen. To estimate the quality and force of his mind with 
entire justice, would demand perhaps a biographer of fewer 
prepossessions. We think we reflect the opinions of other 
and wise judges, when we ascribe to him natural powers 
much above the common order. In no other way can we 
account for his having emerged so early into general esteem, 
not to say admiration, from amidst an unlettered circle and 
in the face of great difficulties. Whatever position he at- 
tained was without his own seeking ; and as truly without 
the adventitious aids of variegated diction and oratorical dis- 
play ; and this po^'M m was more firmly held in the estimate 
of none than of those who knew him most closely. 



540 



HABITS OF THOUGHT. 



From his earliest days his memory was remarkable, as 
we have had occasion to say before. It was not however the 
memory of words or any conventional signs. But in regard 
to faces, localities, historical events, the opinions of authors 
and classes of men, the sources of knowledge, and above all 
whatever was held together by a logical thread, his recollec- 
tion almost surpassed belief. We have heard him say that 
any interpretation of a biblical passage, if once fixed in his 
mind, never left it. To this may be added acuteness and 
perspicacity, in regard to obscure and entangled objects and 
their intricate relations. The patience of his investigation 
on such subjects was very great. He loved to ponder long, 
without book or pen, and often with eyes closed or in dark- 
ness, upon the trains of metaphysical and theological argu- 
ment, which afterwards became the staple of his instructions. 
This persistency of meditation was the more wonderful in 
one who was so much moved by impulse and so given to ar- 
dent sallies. If we understand the term, he was eminently 
a close thinker. He weighed his terms, as the instruments 
of thought, and dwelt long on the sequence of apparently 
clear propositions. Hence he was slow in coming to his con- 
clusions on important matters. He recommended and prac- 
tised the survey of a wide field in order to safe inductions. 
To mental labours so arduous he was prompted by a sincere 
love of truth. And the consequence was, that if he attained 
a reputation for any one quality, it was sound judgment. 
Whatever may have been ascribed to him, he was never ac- 
cused of rashness in the formation of his opinions. After 
such processes, it was natural that he was not subject to hasty 



DILIGENCE. 



541 



changes. His system of philosophy and theology took its 
form early in life, and was avowed by him with firmness on 
his dying bed. When his thoughts were brought to bear on 
practical matters and questions of action, the same qualities 
displayed themselves, in the way of what is justly denominated 
wisdom. We have already observed that he was largely ho- 
noured as a sound adviser. 

In the beginning of his ministry his discourses displayed 
a rich vein of imagination. Nothing would more exhibit 
the fertility of his invention, than the work of fictitious nar- 
rative to which allusion has been made. In his printed 
works there are few traces of this power. But when he 
preached in the free method which was most familiar to him, 
he would sometimes expatiate in descriptive flights which 
carried away his hearers. The characteristic caution of his 
mind, however, had early put him on his guard against the 
seductions of a faculty which however important, often works 
mischievous disturbance where the discovery of truth is in 
view ; he therefore unquestionably pushed forward the disci- 
pline of his thoughts most signally in the direction of intel- 
lectual research and ratiocination. 

Enough has been said to show that his diligence was 
unwearied, until the very end of his course, and that he fell in 
the harness. He was always a busy man. None can re- 
member him as ever idle or ever lounging. It was only 
when overtaken by the debility of age that he ever was accus- 
tomed to assume a reclining posture during the day, still less 
did he ever nod in his chair. From morning till night, year 
after year, when not engaged in devotion or some social in- 



542 



ATTAINMENTS. 



tercourse, he was reading or writing. Every one marvelled 
that his organs could hold out. His vacations were not lesa 
occupied than the regular terms of study. 

There appears to be a discrepance of statement among 
his friends, as to the nature and amount of his attainments ; 
as these have been looked at from different points of view. 
Some have declared them to have been deep rather than ex- 
tensive ; others have reversed the statement. Those who 
knew them best regard both as true, in a certain sense. 
From his great avidity of knowledge and the rare versatility 
of his tastes and faculties, he was all his life a reader in va- I 
rious fields. With the exception of the modern languages 
and natural history, we know of no branches of science or 
literature which he did not cultivate, at some time or other. 
But in these widely separate domains he did not pretend to 
make exact or technical progress ; in these therefore his re- 
searches could not be said to be profound. In a certain 
round of sciences, however, he penetrated with a thorough- 
ness and minute accuracy of detail which it would be diffi- 
cult to exaggerate. We refer to the Scriptures, to theology 
in all its parte, and to the preparations and auxiliaries of 
these. The Philosophy of the Mind and Moral Science 
were his perpetual study. On these he constantly exercised 
his thoughts ; and if there was any department of knowledge 
in which he excelled, it was the observation of his own 
mental states and exercises. In regard to this branch of 
philosophy, he was acquainted with all that could be obtained 
from ancient and modern authors, and was able with dis- 
tinctness to rehearse the tenets of masters and of schools 



COLLOQUIAL TALENT. 



543 



Of his long continued studies in theology we have already 
given some account. Scarcely less versed was he in history, 
both civil and ecclesiastical. To which may be added his 
attainments in bibliography, physical and political geogra- 
phy, and in politics and general law as connected with 
morals. On all these matters, the only wonder is, that the 
mass of his reading had not overwhelmed the original vigour 
of his understanding. In all these his attainments may be 
declared to have been profound. 

In the communication to others of all that he knew he 
took great delight, as has been stated in the narrative. So 
far as we know, there is but one testimony as to his collo- 
quial powers. He was not a perpetual or an exacting talker. 
There were days when his mouth was sealed ; and in his 
free moments he had also his times of reserve. He never 
allowed himself to become the haranguer of a coterie, and in 
large companies was with difficulty drawn out. When he 
did speak, it was without the tone or mien of the orator. 
Yet thousands will remember the instructive entertainment 
and awakening derived from his colloquial flow. This was 
chiefly opened in his own family circle, and at the houses of 
his friends. The peculiar hilarity and rapidity and variety 
of his household discourse can scarcely be represented ; in 
his later days he had strong points of resemblance in these 
respects to Mr. Gallatin and Chancellor Kent. There were 
the same sudden transitions and the same dashes of humour. 
At times, when he gave himself scope and yielded to strong 
emotion, these utterances were scarcely different from his 
great pulpit efforts. As he evidently talked for the simple 



544 



CONVERSATION. 



purpose of unbosoming his present sentiments, the range of 
his remark was extensive ; he talked of every thing that in- 
terested him, but chiefly of that which had last awakened 
his mind. The most serious studies of the morning were 
often given out in distillation to his household and friends. 
He rehearsed the history of his contemporaries and the 
stirring news of the day. But he gave himself up to the 
current of topics, and seldom forced his own subject on 
others. It was his universal practice to converse with visit- 
ors on those things with which they were most familiar. By 
this means he enabled them to show their best side, while he 
was gaming stores of varied information, in regard to new 
countries and remote places and people. When a clergyman 
or a new student came from some region concerning which 
he knew little, this examinatory process was sometimes car- 
ried on for hours ; and the results were sure to be given out 
again with minuteness and animation, at the next fireside 
meeting. Indeed such was his love of communicating with 
his friends, that in these cases he would often come with im- 
mense haste and glowing features into the parlour, and with 
pen in hand keep the floor for a good half hour in relating 
the cheering intelligence ; darting back to his books with an 
amusing precipitation. 

His sense of the ludicrous was acute ; hence he was a 
delightful listener to all entertaining visitors, and a hearty 
laugher of the best old school. Dr. Rice, himself a very 
grave man, Dr. Speece, Dr. John Breckinridge and Dr. 
Young, possessed a great power over his feelings in this re- 
spect. The number of visitors in his study was so large as 



CONVERSATION. 



545 



often to become a sort of levee, at which whole forenoons 
were consumed, in the most cheerful intercourse ; nor did he 
ever consider this as lost time, always preferring the converse 
of the living to that of the dead. The humblest callers at 
his door, not excepting beggars, engaged him in long and 
animated dialogues. These were frequently wound up with 
an extended and pungent exhortation to the new comer. 
There was an old stroller, who came at short periods, and re- 
ceived a frown at many a house, but who always found Dr. 
Alexander ready to question and advise him. One of his 
choicest refreshments was to chat with children, and he had 
the faculty of winning their confidence in a moment. It 
was very uncommon for the hours of meals to be passed 
without free and full conversation. It is hardly needful to 
say that none of these colloquies disclosed any desire of dis- 
play. He was a great questioner, it must be confessed, but 
not with a view of either gauging or puzzling others ; it was 
to increase his own stores, and he was always inquiring and 
always learning. Of set and formal religious conversation 
he practised little. Eeligion transpired through all his words 
and looks. Occasional remarks of a spiritual kind were ever 
and anon thrown in. When his heart was full, it ran over 
the brim ; but he relied little upon studied exhortations in 
ordinary circles. In private he often, almost daily, discoursed 
to individuals on the most sacred and confidential parts of 
experimental religion. To the doubting, desponding and be- 
reaved, he was always a soothing and welcome visitor. By 
the bedside of those who were ill or dying, he attained an 
elevation of consolatory power which has made many such 



546 



PREACHING. 



occasions memorable for a lifetime. The tenderness of his 
heart made him a reluctant reprover ; but when he opened 
his lips for this purpose his words were keen and scorching, 
often we suppose beyond his intention. It is to be added, 
that his love of conversation and his social faculties abode 
in perfect strength, until he was on the very verge of the 
grave. 

From his conversation the transition is easy to his preach- 
ing, which was, more than can be said of most, an expansion 
of his ordinary discourse. It is a topic which we have 
touched upon more than once ; our purpose now is only to 
gather together a few additional remarks and reminiscences. 
The true notion of Dr. Alexander's preaching will not be ob- 
tained, unless we consider elevated conversation as the root 
out of which it grew. Protract the remarks, enlarge the 
circle of auditors, give correspondent stimulation to mind 
and feeling, and all the rest follows of course. Though a 
theologian, and that of the sterner and stricter sort, he did 
not deliver theological lectures from the pulpit. Formal and 
elaborate argumentation on doctrinal points was not common 
in his sermons. It is true, he expounded and defended the 
great doctrines of the faith, but it was in a method which 
was homiletical and popular, rather than scholastically didac- 
tic. Nothing could be more unlike his doctrinal sermons 
than the dry and attenuated diatribes of certain metaphysical 
divines of the last century. It was the Scottish school of 
sermonizing which he most nearly approached ; varieties of 
which may be studied in Finley, Davies and Waddel. Even 
when his object was to establish doctrine, he preferred the 



FREACHIXG. 547 

textual method. His division and treatment of the subject 
were generally governed by the text. Any figure which it 
contained was apt to colour the whole discourse. 

There is a testimony here to be added, which from the 
eminent source from which it flows will not fail to command 
the respect of every reader. It is from Joseph Henry, LL. D., 
the Secretaiy of the Smithsonian Institute.* 



PROFESSOR HENRY TO THE AUTHOR. 

" Sjhthso>"ian Institution, Washington, ) 
January 31, 1854. ) 

" My Dear Sir :— 

" Your letter requesting my recollections of your lament- 
ed father was duly received, but a pressure of business con- 
nected with the annual meeting of the Board of Eegents 
has prevented me from answering it before this evening. 

" It gives me much pleasure to recall to my mind the 
first discourse I heard him deliver. It was a simple and ap- 
parently unpremeditated exposition of truths highly impor- 
tant to the young, and admirably adapted to the students of 
the college to whom it was addressed. I say apparently un- 
premeditated, though it must have been the result of much 
previous reflection in the way of settling definitely in his 
mind important general principles. 

" I think Dr. Alexander had a remarkable faculty of philo- 
sophic generalization, and it was this that made him em- 

* This admirable letter, though pertinent here, would have found its 
exact connection better at an earlier place ; but it came to our handa 
while this very page was going through the press. 



548 



PHILOSOPHICAL HABITS. 



phatically a Ml man. He was enabled to discourse by the 
hour, not from mere memory, but in the way of deduction 
from the general truths which he had made his own, and 
which he was in the habit of applying to the conduct and du- 
ties of life. For example — in the discourse to which I have 
alluded ; he discussed the great principle of the permanency 
of early impressions upon the character, of the philosophy 
of habit, the importance of a good reputation commencing 
with the boy, of the negative influence of a single bad act 
committed in a moment of thoughtlessness which might 
neutralize almost a life of benevolent action ; of the influ- 
ence possessed by every individual, and of the responsibility 
connected with it. 

" He had studied in early life the subject of mental phi- 
losophy, and had adopted the principles of the inductive 
method. All ideas he considered as derived from sensation 
or consciousness, and without attempting to explain the es- 
sence of mind or of matter, he contented himself with a 
knowledge of the laws of their phenomena, and with refer-' 
ring these to the will of the Creator of the universe. All 
knowledge superior to this was derived from revelation, the 
truths of which, however mysterious and beyond reason, he 
adopted with implicit confidence. He was much interested 
in all questions of physical science, and particularly in the 
researches in which I was engaged. All his conceptions of 
truth were simple and clear. His was not a mere speculative 
faith, or a theoretical system of Christian duty, but one 
which was eminently reduced to practice. He taught by Ins 
example as well as by his precepts, and his influence will 



THE GOSPEL. 



549 



long live after him, not only in his published works, but in 
the memory of his pupils, and in its effect on the character 
and conduct of all who enjoyed the pleasure and profit of his 
quaintance. 

" I consider it one of the most happy circumstances of 
my life, that I was permitted so long to enjoy the acquaint- 
ance and friendship of so good and so great a man, and to 
live under his influence. 

" I remain, very truly, your friend and servant, 

"Joseph Henky." 

Experimental, casuistical, practical, consolatory preach- 
ing, may be said to have been the field of his strength. In 
dissecting the heart, unravelling long trains of experience, 
discovering hidden refuges, holding the mirror up to self- 
deceiving souls, and flashing rays of gracious hope on the 
lingering and self-righteous, he was equalled by few. He 
gloried in preaching a free Gospel. The longer he lived, the 
more wide, cordial and generous was his offer of Christ to 
the chief of sinners. Not for an instant was he ever tempted 
to join with those who, because of the abuses of Anti- 
nomianism, would tamper with sovereign boundless gratu- 
itous salvation, or hang legal weights on the wings of ascend- 
ing faith. So high a value did he set upon the maintenance 
of an awakened interest among hearers, that he never en- 
tered on any avowed series of discourses, or wearied out his 
auditors by numerous sermons on the same text. Here his 
practice concurred with the reported remarks of Cecil, in 
his Eemains. The strong historical, we might even say 



550 



MODE OF PREPARATION. 



biographical turn of his mind, led him to dwell much on 
scriptural personages. Surviving hearers will remember his 
portraitures of Abraham and Joseph, of Kuth^ Eli and Han- 
nah, of Josiah and Daniel, of Paul and John. In connec- 
tion with the same trait, he was uncommonly large in his 
delineation of individual types of Christian life, or what may 
be called characteristic preaching. Here he evinced his deli- 
cate acquaintance with the anatomy of saint and sinner. 
The outline was firm and unmistakable, and the hues bright 
and decided. Such pictures of particular experience dwell 
in the recollection of his hearers, who often felt the probe 
entering their consciences to the very quick. To sum up 
what concerns the matter of his preaching, he set forth the 
whole system of Divine truth, with a felicitous mixture of 
doctrine and experience ; not separately but intimately 
blended ; the didactic warp being traversed by a woof of 
variegated emotion ; the steel links of reasoning being often 
red with the ardours of burning love. 

Modes of preparation for preaching are always matter of 
lively interest to preachers ; and it is wonderful how much 
they differ. Dr. Alexander was never accustomed to tell of 
his own ways, or to enjoin them upon others. Perhaps he 
was extreme in his disposition to let every man " scuffle 
through his experiment/' as he used to call it, so as to alight 
on the plan which was best for himself. His written ser- 
mons were his later ones. For the most part they were the 
reproduction of trains of thought which he had arranged in 
his head many years before. It is not known that his mode 
of bringing these to paper had any thing peculiar. He was 



PREMEDITATION. 



551 



fond of saying, that if lie wished to produce, a discourse bet- 
ter than common, on a new subject, he should like to write 
away as fast as he could, and even voluminously. This he 
called getting the rock out of the quarry. During this pro- 
cess he thought two good results were pretty sure to ensue. 
One was that the writer would strike on some "rich vein" 
(another of his phrases) out of which he might draw the 
chief wealth of his discourse ; the other was, that he would 
find the rudiments of a method and partition emerge out of 
this at first chaotic mass. Then, and not till then, he thought 
the arrangement should be completed ; and then he would 
sit down and put the sermon into its final form, by an entire 
new writing. This device no doubt originated in his long- 
practised method of thinking long and arduously on the 
topics which he meant to discuss without notes. His wit- 
ten sermons however are but the bony structure of his preach- 
ing ; they lack the illustrations, descriptions, flight and pa- 
thos of his freer productions. 

It has been said, even to repetition, that his chosen 
method of preparation was independent of the pen. Mr. 
Gallatin once said to us : " I know nothing of what is called 
growing warm in writing. In my most elaborate speeches, 
I have prepared the matter mentally ; and when I have had 
to write, I have frequently walked up and down the floor, 
and collected my material and given it shape and diction, 
just as if I were speaking off-hand/' In our belief, this 
would be a just description of Dr. Alexander's experience. 
Long and silent meditation preceded his great efforts. In 
this he declared that he dismissed all consideration of the 



552 



PREPARATION. 



language to be employed, deliberately thinking that this 
would suggest itself best during delivery. Neither did he 
prearrange the exact sequence of sentences or even of propo- 
sitions ; leaving the mind free to work in new directions while 
speaking. He used to declare that he preferred not to bur- 
den his mind with the recollection of a single expression 
which had occurred to him in his study. Such was his facul- 
ty of abstraction and concentration, that these preparatory 
lucubrations were conducted in walking, riding, or even sitting 
among his children. He would say laughingly that he often 
could think to most purpose, when there was a little clatter 
of voices around him. Hence it was surprising to observe 
how little he shut himself up before preaching ; when he did 
so, it was with a devotional end in view. He was a great 
advocate of habitual, as distinguished from special prepara- 
tion. His individual sermons were chapters from a very co- 
pious volume in his head. Though he seldom spoke of these 
things, he once told us, that being about to preach on a text 
from that part of Scripture, he had rapidly perused the whole 
epistle to the Hebrews ; and at another time that he had in 
like manner read the whole Gospel of John over in Greek, 
on the Sunday morning. On a single point, our recollections 
vary from those of some authorities to whom we defer with 
high respect. It strikes us that in general, he not only divi- 
ded his subject with distinctness, but declared the heads of 
his argument. The other mode we regard as the exception 
to his common rule. This is confirmed by a reference to his 
printed sermons and his manuscripts. He knew very little 
medium between reading closely, and speaking without any 

44 



SOLEMN VIEW OF THE WORK. 



553 



notes. The bit of paper which he usually laid on the Bible 
scarcely deserves the name. It was seldom of more than 
ten lines, and was often not looked at ; indeed he said that 
he used it as a precaution against a total loss of memory as 
to text, topic and plan, which used to befall him in his 
younger days. These scraps of writing were not intended as 
aids in preparation. We have no knowledge of his ever 
using what is called " a full brief/ 5 He frequently ceased to 
read what he had prepared, and interpolated new trains of 
argument which occurred to him, and in other cases even did 
not return to his manuscript at all. This was true in regard 
to some of his most effective sermons, which were thus drawn 
out to as much as ninety minutes. 

He never seemed to look on preaching from its literary or 
rhetorical side. To him it was a high spiritual function, 
and he approached it with much of the awe which had at- 
tended his first efforts. It is believed that some trepidation 
preceded every discourse which he delivered ; as Luther re- 
ports concerning himself. Far more than is common, and 
l beyond what he ever explicitly declared, he seems to have 
believed in special aids, elevations and illuminations, con- 
ferred on the preacher during his delivery of the message ; 
such afflatus from the Spirit he was accustomed to distin- 
guish from the personal graces of the preacher. These im- 
pressions doubtless brought his mind into a state highly sus- 
ceptible of those gusts of sudden feeling, which sometimes 
swayed not only himself, but whole assemblies. Perhaps 
this, rather than any rhetorical canon, led him invariably to 
begin his discourse in the most simple, subdued, and if we 



554 



STYLE. 



may so speak, expectant manner. It was the tone of ordi- 
nary conversation on an important subject. Hardly any 
thing could be augured from his beginning. He allowed 
himself to rise and glow in a manner almost imperceptible. 
As might be expected, he did not always soar ; but when he 
did, it was without effort and without abruptness. As he 
kindled, his language became more vivid, ornate, and power- 
ful ; it even acquired an elegant fitness and accuracy, which is 
not found in his writings. Towards the close of his greatest 
sermons, the audience was usually in a state of rapt atten- 
tion ; nothing was more common than for people to say that 
they would gladly have listened to him all day. 

The style of his more impassioned preaching was inde- 
scribably warmer and more coloured than any thing which 
he has left in writing. Yet it was always simple, and can- 
not be better described than in words which Dr. Arnold uses 
of his own : " I am sure an attempt at ornament would make 
my style so absurd, that you would yourself laugh at it. I 
could not do it naturally, for I have now so habituated my- 
self to that unambitious and plain way of writing, and ab- 
sence of Latin words as much as possible, that I could not 
write otherwise without manifest affectation/' In his most 
elevated passages Dr. Alexander never indulged in the sweep 
of periodic and climacteric sentences. And as his style, such 
was his delivery. Gesture was forced from him, and was not 
undulatory or studiously graceful ; he had no dread of the 
abrupt or the angular in his motions. Those who speak of 
his voice as shrill, must be governed by the remembrance of 
later days, when he coidd make himself heard furthest in his 



MANNER, 



555 



upper notes. In youth and in his prime, his tones were silvery 
and his modulation exceedingly varied. The lower and even 
whispering modes of speech were often very effective. His 
inflections, especially at the close of sentences, were all his 
own, and were unlike those laid down in the books ; it was 
an attempt to reproduce these which made some of his imi- 
tators quite ridiculous. The language of his eye was extra- 
ordinary, even to a proverb. He was wont to fix his glance 
on individual hearers, with a penetration which often pro- 
duced painful shrinking. We have no remembrance of ever 
seeing him weep in preaching, even when almost a whole as- 
sembly was in tears. The impression upon his hearers was 
at times so extraordinary, that we do not allow ourselves to 
describe it in detail. One quality was never absent, whether 
he was gently familiar or suddenly impetuous ; he main- 
tained the unbroken interest of the assembly, however long 
he spoke. He once said of Summerfield, whom he greatly 
admired, that this wonderful young orator possessed the art 
of keeping up fixed attention and awakened expectation ; 
and that it consisted in passing rapidly from point to point, 
never dwelling on a thought when once it was fully lodged, 
never beating his material too thin, and thus never allowing 
the hearer's mind to get before him. It may be inferred 
from this that he depended little on rhetorical amplification. 
The beautiful illustrations which sometimes arose like visions 
before his audience, seldom held them long ; but he often 
added scene to scene with a felicity which was above all art, 
and which was evidently the result of thoughts suggested 
, at the moment. It was manifest from his manner, that ic 



556 



PERSONAL KELIGION. 



addition to all he had preconceived, his mind was working 
strongly in new directions, while he was in the act of speak- 
ing. At such times his eye would fix itself on vacancy, or 
on some distant object, revealing by its peculiar expression 
that he had almost lost sight of his audience, and was ex- 
patiating in tracks of original musing. But we despair of 
conveying any precise notion of his peculiar manner to 
those who never heard him in the day of his unbroken 
physical vigour ; especially as we cannot suppose that our 
ears were not held by the fascination of a filial partiality 
which cannot be largely shared, and which must be our ex- 
cuse if we overstate the case. 

In the period when he made preaching his great business, 
his labours were every where owned of Grod to the awakening 
and conversion of many souls ; and all through his life such 
tokens were granted to him from time to time. Yet it is 
believed, that his work was far more remarkable in edifying 
the body of Christ, simplifying and enforcing the statements 
of doctrine, removing scruples, nourishing faith, stimulating 
to holy life, and consoling the tempted and distressed. In 
these fields, the effects of his labours, being more remote 
from public notice, are beyond all calculation, and must be 
left for the disclosures of the other world. 

In closing our survey, we may be expected to say 
something of his personal piety ; yet nowhere have we 
so much felt the burden of our task. If the general 
tenour of this narrative has not set him forth as one who 
was eminently sanctified, we should fail to reach this 
end by heaping up assertory declarations. If, as a genial 



DEVOTION — PRUDENCE. 



557 



writer has said, " we should be modest for a modest man, 
as he is for himself/' — reserve on this point is the more 
demanded ; for of all the human beings we ever knew he 
was the most silent about his own personal experience. 
At certain times he entered into his closet, and shut the 
door, but in what manner he conducted his private exercises, 
no mortal, we believe, is competent to relate. In these 
hours he is thought to have made more use than is common 
of the original Scriptures. He had a way of chanting to 
himself the Hebrew Psalms ; for many years using for this 
purpose a beautiful psalter, which was the gift of Dr. Hodge. 
From what was observed by his family, and from what he 
recommended to others, it is supposed that he spent much 
time in deliberate spiritual contemplation. His piety was to 
a remarkable degree blended with his system of truth. In 
his mind doctrine and experience were inseparable. This 
was consistent with the high place which he always assigned 
to spiritual understanding and to faith. He observed fre- 
quent days of entire seclusion, sometimes adding an absti- 
nence which was almost rigorous. 

Prudence was a prominent trait in his character. That 
this did not sometimes degenerate into excessive solicitude 
and caution, we will not assert. The courage of adventurous 
daring, he possessed in his youth. The courage which ena- 
bled him to maintain his judgments, not only against all 
opponents but often against all friends, he might well claim 
all his days. It was kindred to his great sincerity, candour 
and love of truth. In his most unguarded moments, he 
was never known to exaggerate a statement. He was free 



558 HUMILITY — BENEVOLENCE. 

from censoriousness of judgment, and scrupulous in speaking 
evil of any human being. Hence he passed a long life, 
almost absolutely free from strife with any fellow-creature. 
If he had enemies, they are unknown to us. In all the j 
circle of his acquaintance he was not more truly reverenced 
than loved. 

Of nothing did he seem so much in dread as of pride. 
From numerous indirect statements, we judge it to be what 
he regarded as his easily besetting sin. Its outward manifes- 
tations were however as rare in him as in any man. It 
seems to us that his whole life was an arduous study of hu- 
mility.. While he was burdened with a sense of indwelling 
sin, he was eminently free from doubts as to his own accept- 
ance with God. Though he never said so, we are persuaded 
that his habitual state of mind was one of confirmed assu- 
rance. His conversation, sermons and books show that he 
set the highest value on personal communion with the Lord 
Jesus Christ, as the very heart of religion and happiness. 
On this subject, his sentiments often arose to a blissful rap- 
ture ; something of which he was enabled to communicate to 
others 

As practice is the great criterion of piety, we may confi- 
dently refer to this. His whole life was spent in an endea- 
vour to do as much good as was within his power. Without 
unduly lifting the domestic veil, it would be impracticable 
to represent how gentle, how tender, how sympathizing, 
how anticipative of every emergency, how laborious, how 
delicate and yet how faithful, he was to those who were 
nearest to him. This kindliness extended itself to a wide 



CONCLUSION. 



559 



circle. He was perpetually teeming with plans for the good 
of mankind. His inventive faculty, in regard to charitable 
schemes, was a striking trait in his character. A bare survey 
of the books and papers which he wrote, and the manner in 
which he applied his learning, suffices to show the benevo- 
lence of his soul. 

There is reason to believe that during most of his life he 
suffered from inward struggles and temptations. Yet again 
and again did he come forth from his study radiant with 
spiritual refreshment. His religion was characteristically 
composing and tranquil. As he advanced in years he became 
more and more happy ; until at the very close he was hap- 
piest of all. In those last hours his lips were unsealed on 
many points concerning which he had been as silent as the 
grave ; and he revealed some glimpses of that " secret of the 
Lord " which had been his portion for years. All was sym- 
metrical and consistent, and hence one of the chief difficul- 
ties of description. Of his entire course there was nothing 
more true to nature and to grace than its close. The intel- 
ligent tranquillity which there reigned was beyond any powers 
of recital. Mark the perfect man, and behold the 

UPRIGHT ; FOR THE END OF THAT MAN IS PEACE. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



The following is as complete a list as our memory enables 
us to produce, of those books and pamphlets of which Dr. 
Alexander can justly be considered as the author. 

A Sermon at the opening of the General Assembly. 
Philadelphia, 1808. 

A Discourse occasioned by the burning of the Theatre in 
the City- of Kichniond, Va., on the 26th of December, 1811. 
Philadelphia, 1812. pp. 28. 

An Inaugural Discourse delivered at Princeton. New- 
York, 1814. 

A Missionary Sermon before the General Assembly. 
Philadelphia, 1813. 

A Brief Outline of the Evidences of the Christian Keli- 
gion. Princeton, 1825. 12mo. 

The Canon of the Old and New Testaments ascertained ; 
or the Bible complete without the Apocrypha and Unwritten 
Traditions. 12mo. | 

A Sermon to Young Men, preached in the Chapel of the 
College of New Jersey. 1826. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



561 



Suggestions in Vindication of Sunday Schools. Phila- 
delphia, 1829. 

Growth in Grace. Two Sermons in the National 
Preacher. New- York, 1829. 

A Sermon before the American Board of Commissioners 
for Foreign Missions. 1829. 

A Selection of Hymns, adapted to the Devotions of the 
Closet, the Family and the Social Circle, and containing 
subjects appropriate to the Monthly Concerts of Prayer for 
the success of Missions and Sunday Schools. New- York, 
1831. (Seven hundred and forty-two hymns.) 

The Pastoral Office. A Sermon preached in Philadelphia, 
before the Association of the Alumni of the Theological Semi- 
nary at Princeton, May 21, 1834. Philadelphia, 1834. pp. 30. 

The Lives of the Patriarchs. American Sunday School 
Union. 1835. 18mo. pp. 168. 

History of Israel. 12mo. 

The House of God Desirable. A Sermon in the Presby- 
terian Preacher. 1835. 

The People of God led in Unknown Ways. A Sermon 
preached May 29, 1842, in the First Presbyterian Church, 
Richmond. 1842. 

An Address delivered before the Alumni Association of 
Washington College, Va., on Commencement Day, June 29, 
1843. Lexington, 1843. 

Biographical Sketches of the Founder and Principal 
Alumni of the Log College ; together with an Account of 
the Revivals of Religion under their Ministry. Princeton, 
1845. 12mo. pp. 369. 



562 



PUBLICATIONS. 



A History of Colonization on the Western Coast of Af- 
rica. Philadelphia, 1846. 8vo. pp. 603. 

A History of the Israelitish Nation, from their origin to 
their dispersion at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Ro- 
mans. Philadelphia, 1852. 8vo. pp. 620. 

Outlines of Moral Science. New- York, 1852. 12mo. 
pp. 272. 

Introduction to Matthew Henry's Commentary. 
Introduction to Works of the Rev. William Jay. 
Introduction to Dr. Waterbury's Advice to a Young 
Christian. 

The following books and tracts, as well as some of those 
mentioned above, are issued by the Presbyterian Board of 
Publication. 

Practical Sermons ; to be read in Families and Social 
Meetings. 8vo. 

Letters to the Aged. 18mo. 

Counsels of the Aged to the Young. 18mo. 

Universalism false and unscriptural. 18mo. 

A Brief Compend of Bible Truth. 12mo. 

Divine Guidance ; or the People of God led in Unknown 
Ways. 32mo. 

Thoughts on Religious Experience. 12mo. 

The Life of the Rev. Richard Baxter. (An abridgment.) 
18mo. 

The Life of Andrew Melville. (An abridgment.) 18mo. 

The Life of John Knox, the Scottish Reformer. (An 
abridgment.) 1 8mo. 

The Way of Salvation, familiarly explained in a Conver- 
sation between a Father and his Children. 32mo. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



563 



To which must be added the following Tracts : 
The Duty of Catechetical Instruction. 
A Treatise on Justification by Faith. 
Christ's Gracious Invitation to the Weary and Heavy- 
laden. 

Euth the Moabitess. 

Love to an Unseen Saviour. 

Letters to the Aged. 

A Dialogue between a Presbyterian and a Friend 
(Quaker). 

The Amiable Youth falling short of Heaven. 

The Importance of Salvation. 

Future Punishment Endless. 

Justification by Faith. 

Sinners Welcome to Jesus Christ. 

The following Tracts have been published by the Ameri- 
can Tract Society : 

The Day of Judgment. 
The Misery of the Lost. 



THE END. 



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